Today land-use change is one of the most important challenges facing the agricultural sector, and the conservation of agricultural lands is an important goal worldwide. So, this study aimed to design a model for the protection of agricultural lands in Hamedan province using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population was composed of all farmers in the province (N = 117,571) out of whom 384 people were sampled based on Krejcie and Morgan’s table with a multi-stage sampling method. The main research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire for collecting and analyzing the required data. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha and its validity by a group of experts in the fields of agricultural extension and sustainable development. Results revealed that six strategies including social, economic, access, regional, policy, and technical-agricultural strategies should be considered for the conservation of agricultural lands. The result of the Friedman test showed that technical-agricultural strategies are the top priority for the conservation of agricultural lands. The use of SEM showed that the model has a good fit and there is a good correlation between the six factors and the related indicators. Increasing the economic efficiency of the agricultural sector prepares agriculture for competing with other economic sectors, and increasing the economic power of farmers is the most important factor in protecting agricultural lands.
