Factors affecting the adoption and rejection of safety crops in the Khuzestan

A safety crop is defined by the matter produced with least chemical input (fertilizer) usage in order to have no risk for consumers. In line with this, a study was done to investigate the factors affecting adoption and/or rejection of cultivating safety crops and to assign the best fitted model of adoption among vegetable growers in Khuzestan Province. The study was based on a survey method using a non-proportional stratified random sampling in which 170 safety crop adopters as well as 170 non-adopters were selected. The needed data was gathered through a questionnaire. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between both groups in terms of using information channels and the number of visiting change agents. In addition, the adopters of safe crops had more favorite attitude toward protection of environment and low usage of external chemical inputs. They ,also, demonstrated more awareness of the disadvantageous of conventional agriculture. The findings, then, showed that the multiplicity model was the best fitted model which could well discriminate the adopters from non-adopters. The study followed by proposing some recommendations in which policy makers were advised to apply multi-dimensional (or multiplicity) model along with pay more attention to the quality of education and ratify the legal laws to support of safety crop producers