Identification and explanation of executive steps of conservation agriculture development in Iran using Fuzzy Delphi Method

The aim of this study was to identification and explanation of executive steps of conservation agriculture (CA) development in Iran. First, 23 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from the CA based applied research and delivery HUB and CA technical committees in nine leading provinces of Iran. By using qualitative content analysis, 23 sub-step in the form of six main steps at the national level and 32 sub-step in the form of nine main steps at the local level were identified for CA development. Then, Fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to achieve a consensus among the experts about steps and screening results of the first phase. At national level, there was considerable consensus among experts about ''formulation national budget for CA development'' , ''studying experiences of leading countries in the field of CA development'' and ''feasibility of implementing CA in each region of country''. At local level, there was considerable consensus among experts about ''financing of CA development executive plans, ''providing after-sales service by CA equipment manufacturers'', ''providing expert consultations to farmers on CA farm management'' and ''establishing CA research and extension sites in the pioneer's farms and implementation of research and extension programs in this sites''.