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This dissertation examines the impact of social media marketing on consumers’ purchase intention for organic food in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It focuses on the mediating role of sustainable consumption behavior within an extended Theory of Planned Behavior framework. A sequential mixed-methods design was applied, combining qualitative interviews and focus groups with a quantitative survey. The qualitative phase included social media influencers, organic food producers, and consumer focus groups to explore trust, authenticity, certification, price sensitivity, and sustainability awareness. The quantitative phase used data from 565 respondents and applied PLS-SEM to test the proposed relationships. The results show that social media marketing has a significant positive effect on both purchase intention and sustainable consumption behavior. Sustainable consumption behavior also has a strong positive effect on purchase intention. The mediation analysis confirms that sustainable consumption behavior partially mediates the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. The findings indicate that digital engagement influences organic food purchasing not only through promotion, but also through awareness building, trust formation, and sustainability-oriented values. The dissertation contributes to organic food marketing research by providing empirical evidence from an emerging market context where certification systems, affordability, and product availability remain key challenges.
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