Structural Analysis of Factors Affecting Agricultural Sustainability in Qazvin Province, Iran

Agricultural sustainability refers to the ability of a farm to produce food indefinitely, without causing irreversible damage to ecosystem health. The main objective of this study was to formulate a structural model to analyze the effects of ecological, social, and economic factors on sustainable agricultural development in Qazvin Province of Iran. To achieve this aim, a structural model with 4 latent variables and 14 observed indicators was used. Required data were collected by questionnaire from 220 wheat cropping farmers who were selected through a stratified sampling design from four counties located in Qazvin Province. Linear structural relationships were used to calculate the impact of various factors on sustainability of agriculture. The computer software of LISREL was used to specify, fit, and evaluate structural equation model. The result of the analysis showed that ecological, social, and economic sustainability positively affected the agricultural sustainability, but, ecological sustainability had a greater impact on agricultural sustainability (0.642) than economic (0.604) and social (0.568) sustainability. The model gives right signals on what has been happening to agricultural development in Iran. The result of this study can also assist agricultural planners and policy-makers in identifying appropriate policies and in monitoring the effectiveness of policy interventions.