Investigating Economic and Social Factors Influencing Farmer's Interest in Accepting Organic Garlic Cultivation in Hamadan Province

More than one decade has passed since the significant and extensive emergence of organic agricultural concepts on international level. Rapid and serious loss of vital agricultural resources due to erosion, salinization of land, desertification, extinction of species and environmental pollution is among the world's major concerns. The main cause of such a concern may include indiscriminate use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and agricultural implements, and the expansion of mechanized cultivation. According to the philosophy of sustainable agriculture, farming systems should be established based on justice and protection of natural resources. Such systems reduce environmental pollution, maintain agricultural productivity, and improve short-term and long-term economic ability and their quality of life. Due to continuous cultivation of garlic and lack of attention to the protection of productive resources over the past decades, we have witnessed a number of problems regarding environmental degradation. The use of pesticides and fertilizers in Hamadan province has been manifold compared to other Iranian provinces. This has been partly due the lack of awareness of factors governing farmer's interest in accepting organic garlic cultivation and sustainable agriculture, and lack of understanding of the mentioned factors in organic agriculture on the part of agricultural experts. Thus, this research, first and foremost, aims at the identification of factors which may affect the willingness of farmers to adopt organic cultivation of garlic in the province, followed by the correct procedures of natural resource management.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: Several schools of thought exist on how to interpret the concept of sustainable and organic agriculture. Although there are major differences between these schools, they all agree that the present condition of agriculture is not sustainable. There are major differences between current and sustainable systems of agriculture. So far, there have been various definitions for organic agriculture. Some think of it as one of the most important agricultural systems for the production of healthy food free of any chemicals. Simply put, organic farming is a kind of agriculture in which consumers may easily use their products and make sure they will have no health problems derived from hormones and pesticides in products. Generally speaking, organic agriculture is not only the exploitation of resources based on purely economic criteria, but it also encompasses emphasis on sustainable production which does not harm basic resources, guarantees the rights of future generations and considers other aspects such as balanced distribution of food, food security, lack of environmental degradation and the use of collective measures. It should be mentioned that Iranian agriculture sector has been affected by inappropriate overuse of external inputs and unsustainable use of agricultural productive resources. The analysis of the present condition of Iranian agricultural sector clearly shows that agricultural systems used in Iran and other Third World countries are based on western patterns of agriculture, which all put emphasis on the use of external inputs.
This is an applied, descriptive and non-experimental research. This field research was a cross-sectional survey conducted between 2012 and 2013 crop year. Regarding it paradigm, the research falls into the realm of quantitative research. The research population includes all the producers of garlic in three regions including Hamadan, Touiserkan and Bahar, all located in Hamadan province. Simple random sampling method was used, and the size of the samples included 163 famers. To collect the data, a questionnaire was used. The content reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by the assistance of a number of professors of Agriculture College of Mohaghegh Ardabili University. A preliminary test was conducted to obtain reliability, and Cronbach's alpha for different sections of the questionnaire were calculated between 0.72 and 0.83.
The results of economic factors rating showed that three variables including contracts request, the availability of manure in production and demand for organic garlic were respectively the most significant factors affecting farmer's interest in initiating organic garlic cultivation in Hamadan province. Based on the results of ranking social factors, the availability of insurance in the production of organic garlic was the most important factor affecting farmer's interest in initiating organic garlic cultivation. Generally speaking, the results showed that several variables such as demand for organic garlic, the availability of seed for organic garlic production, production costs and organic garlic market had a significant relationship with farmer's tendency to accept organic garlic cultivation in Hamadan province. According to the findings, farmer's conservativeness negatively affected their willingness to cultivate organic garlic. It is proposed to hold exhibitions, make TV/radio programs and distribute brochures to inform people about the benefits of healthy products and the disadvantages of chemical products. Thus they will be more willing to buy organic products. The required inputs should be also provided by government in order to ease farmer's access to such inputs. It is also suggested that a few farms be established by Jahad Keshavarzi Organization in different regions in order to make farmers more familiar with this type of agriculture.