Application of the Community Capitals Approach in Assessing the Impacts of IPM/ FFS Programs

This study was conducted in order to analyze the impacts of IPM/ FFS programs on various outcomes by a broad range of stakeholders - including farming communities, local and national governments, and researchers - who are supporting such programs in Iran. This study is unique in that it uses an impact evaluation with a sociological perspective to explore the trigger and accumulation function of the effects of IPM/FFS programs in conformity with the community capital and adaptive management approaches. A total of 86 IPM/FFS stockholders were sampled. The principal component analysis was used to identify the impact factors of IPM/FFS programs and explore several factors, including the enhancement of social welfare, the improvement of farm health and safety, technical and social (leadership) skills development, risk management and marketing, improvement of production quality as well as expansion of farmers’ experiential abilities, and the establishment of adaptive ecological management. According to the trigger and accumulation function of the effects of IPM/FFS programs, it was concluded that the IPM/FFS stimulated social learning and that it strengthened human and political capital by developing technical, social and leadership skills, which apparently prompted social and financial capital through expanding the range of local activities, relationships and policies related to improved agro-ecosystem management (natural capital). Finally, based on the trigger and accumulation function of the effects of IPM/FFS programs, in particular for providing longterm effects, an adaptive management approach was recommended to emphasis on developmental impacts through a participatory approach.