Identification and Analysis of Driving Factors of Conservation Agriculture Development in Iran

Conservation agriculture (CA) is a multi-dimensional approach to sustainable use of soil and water resources and achieving sustainable production to cope with the challenges of the agricultural sector. The purpose of this study was identification and analysis of driving factors of CA development in Iran. In the qualitative part of research, 47 driving factors in eight main categories have identified by exploring relevant journal articles, government documents, CA projects reports and 32 semi-structured interviews with farmers, researchers, and other key stakeholders. Then, confirmatory factor analysis used to confirm the identified driving factors. A sample of 264 experts working in Agricultural Organizations from 9 leading provinces in the field of CA was selected through a purposive sampling method. The survey instrument was a questionnaire that designed based on result of the qualitative part of research. The results showed that the values of average variance extracted for each factor of the model was more than 0.5 and the values of composite reliability of them was more than 0.7. Therefore, the function of measurement part of model was proper. Also, the goodness-of-fit indices indicate that the model is consistent with the data. According to results, creating the culture of CA at national and local scale, creating institutional framework, policy making and planning, monitoring and assessment, market interventions and infrastructure, extension and education, supportive and research and development factors are the most effective driving factors to CA development.