Analysis of Factors affecting adoption and development of Canola cultivation in Tabriz county: Application of Double-Hurdle Model

This study aims to identify the factors affecting the adoption and development of canola cultivation from the farmers' perspective. The required data was collected from a sample of 180 canola farmers and 180 other farmers in Tabriz County using random sampling in 2020. The Double-Hurdle model was applied to analyze the factors that impact the probability of canola planting. The first stage of the model revealed that education, membership in cooperatives, canola price, proportion of farm income, and participation in training classes had a positive impact on the probability of canola planting. On the other hand, the number of agricultural plots and the age of agriculture had a negative effect. In the second stage of the model, the Tobit model was used to show that participation in training classes, canola planting experience, family labor, and land ownership had a positive impact on canola planting. In contrast, machinery costs and the number of agricultural plots had a negative impact. This study suggests that the adoption of canola is heavily influenced by its real price. Therefore, the government should increase the guaranteed price for canola to encourage more farmers to cultivate it. As a result, it is recommended that the government conducts more extension classes to increase farmers' knowledge and help them apply new information on canola cultivation. It's important to note that none of the proposed solutions work alone. Since farmers' behavior is influenced by various factors, policymakers should consider all factors comprehensively as a policy package to develop canola cultivation.