The Role of Social Capital and Professional Capabilities in The Development of Medicinal Plant Cultivation

Medicinal plants have a long history with human beings and are considered as one of the export items of the agricultural sector and one of the main sources of meeting human food and medicine needs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of social capital and professional capabilities in the development of medicinal plants as an innovation in agriculture sector. The present quantitative research in terms of purpose is applied research in which the fieldwork (survey) method was used. The statistical population of the study included all farmers in Zanjan province. A total of 389 people were selected as the statistical sample and data was collected using a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS24 and AMOS24 software. The results showed a positive and significant relationship between the communication, cognitive and structural dimensions of social capital with the development of medicinal plants. Also, the results showed that the total indirect effect of communication and cognitive dimension of social capital on the development of medicinal plants in Zanjan province is positive and significant through the professional capabilities of farmers; while the indirect effect of the structural dimension of social capital was not significant. Among the suggestions of this research is launching courses and holding short-term courses by active educational centers in the province.