The Role of the Law in Prompting Environmental Stewardship for Farms Located Near Phosphate Mines

Abstract

The effectiveness of environmental laws depends on several factors, including the cooperation between the stakeholders, compliance, and implementation. This research investigated the effectiveness of the Jordanian environmental laws in protecting agricultural lands near phosphate mines that are operated by the Jordanian Phosphate Mining Corporation (JPMC). The two other stakeholders involved are the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) and the farmers. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the environmental law was based on a hypothetical model that considers consecutive relations between awareness, commitment, and compliance. A second model was based on monitoring and enforcement as catalysts to the awareness and commitment that lead to compliance. The research problem was addressed using three questionnaires based on a 5-point Likert scale. The results showed modest compliance by the farmers and the absence of a correlation between awareness and commitment, as well as a lack of monitoring by the MOENV. The consecutive model can explain the compliance of the JPMC, since awareness, commitment, and compliance were well correlated despite the lack of managerial involvement by the JPMC in enhancing environmental awareness. It is recommended that more resources be allocated to increase the monitoring activities by the MOENV and study the social and economic factors influencing farmers’ compliance.