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• Study addresses adoption of conservation agricultural initiatives (CAIs). • Compatibility and observability affect adoption. • Farm revenue affects CAIs adoption. • Electrical conductivity and organic carbon content are significantly different between the two groups of farms. • Topographical information indicates that CAIs farms are with a gradient of less than 5%. Over the past decades, agro-ecological measures, such as conservation agricultural initiatives (CAIs) have been widely implemented in developing countries, in like manner with Tabriz city as would be a leading case situated in northwest Iran. In light of linear discriminant analysis (LDA), this cross-sectional research calls on a knowledge gap respecting the differentiation of farmers who become involved in CAIs (adopters) from those not involved (non-adopters), as three data modules, including attitudinal, soil testing, and topographical data, were used. The study takes advantage of a sample of 382 respondents, stratified as regards the geographical location of their farms. Using theory-triangulation, the theoretical foundation enfolds demographic theory, the theory of planned behavior, innovation diffusion model, and resource-based model. The results of hierarchical LDA provide evidence that the hypothesized model is entitled to be fitted with data and accordingly three variables including (1) observability, (2) farm revenue, and (3) compatibility ascertain adopter farmers from non-adopter ones. Furthermore, it was revealed that the soil dynamic quality features, such as electrical conductivity, EC, (dS m−1) (Mann-Whitney U = 353, P < 0.05) and organic carbon content, OC (%), (Mann-Whitney U = 935.5, P < 0.05) were significantly different between the two groups of farms, while carbonate calcium equivalent, CCE (%) (Mann-Whitney U = 935.5, P > 0.05) showed no significant differences. Likewise, the topographical data analyzed in ArcGIS software make manifest that CAIs farms have more steady topographic features rather non-CAI farms and are also situated in the regions with a gradient of less than 5%. In conclusion, the paper delivers management implications for the agricultural extension and authorities of the agricultural research centers who tend to promote CAIs in on-site and off-site farmlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the fifth strategic development plan of Iran, the government is necessitated to trigger the agro-ecological initiatives like conservation agriculture (CA) by stimulating farmers to become involved in the schemes as efficiently as possible, along the lines of global policies to enhance environmentally-friendly development. This study, as being the case, calls for the knowledge gap of motivation-intention-behavior, investigating the association of diverse motivations of 382 farmers in Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, with the soil conservation behavior (SCB), also inclusive of the contribution of CA features, including relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, observability, and testability, as the farmers were stratified to low and high SCB. The theoretical framework consists of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and motivational model (MM), the former is commonly used and the latter has the potential to be given much attention, conceptualized by well-being, identity, hedonistic, and idealistic concepts. The study provides evidence that 70.42% of farmers adhere to and carry out SCB at a low rate; whereas, 29.58% of the rest has a high adoption rate. The results also illustrate that attitude towards CA contributes to influencing SCB, as well as the significant and positive impact of PBC on behavioral intention and SCB. While well-being motivation has a negative impact on attitude towards CA, behavioral intention, and SCB, identity and hedonistic motivations have a significant and positive impact on attitude and SCB that are mediated by behavioral intention. The paper concludes that (1) the agricultural extension needs to change farmers' attitudes by making farmers aware of the relative advantage, compatibility, and testability of CA, (2) farmers should receive technical, financial, and educational support to increase their volitional control on CA, (3) it is strongly suggested addressing the primary obstacles to SCB, which are facilitated by delivering the subsidized agricultural inputs (e.g., fertilizer, fuel, and livelihoods) to farmers with well-being motivations, (4) the agricultural extension is also recommended recognizing farmers with identity and hedonistic incentives, they are as a reference group and are imitated by non-adopter or slowly adopter farmers. • Study addresses the intake of conservation agriculture. • Attitude towards conservation agriculture affects soil conservation behavior. • Behavioral control affects behavioral intention and soil conservation behavior. • Well-being motivations affect attitude towards conservation agriculture negatively. • Identity and hedonistic motivations affect intention and soil conservation behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]