Explaining farmers’ pro-environmental behaviors in rural China: A perspective of appraisal theory of emotions

Rural development emphasizes the significance of environmental protection and green agriculture, but most studies focus on governmental actions and expert knowledge production. Mobilization at the local level in rural areas needs to be considered. To fill this research gap, according to the appraisal theory of emotions, we draw upon the related literature and develop a conceptual model that explains the relationships among farmers' place attachment, subjective well-being, and farmers' pro-environmental behaviors in the public and private spheres. Based on survey data from 423 farmers and interviews with 12 farmers from a rural area in China, the study expands the current conceptualization of cognition by incorporating a connection with place and emphasizing the place-related aspects of subjective well-being. The findings show that both place attachment and subjective well-being can effectively enhance farmers' pro-environmental behaviors. Also, subjective well-being has a significant mediating effect on the relationships between farmers’ place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors. The results also demonstrate the spillover effects between pro-environmental behaviors from the public to the private sphere. The implications for theory and practice are addressed.