Determining an Optimal Agronomic Cropping Pattern in Productive Units by analyzing the Regional and National Comparative Advantages

The main objective of this study was to determine an optimal cropping pattern in a productive unit located in Pishva County based on regional and national comparative advantage analysis. In order to achieve this goal, the physical indices of the comparative advantage of production including scale advantage, efficiency advantage, and aggregative advantage with the export advantage of both agronomic and greenhouse crops were calculated. The research was an empirical study based on field survey. Data were gathered through a questionnaire, interview with experts from Varamin Agricultural unit and statistical reports from the Ministry of Jihad-Iran Agriculture and FAO. The results of the study showed that the current cropping pattern of Varamin production unit has scale, efficiency and aggregative advantage and therefore the current farming pattern should be continued. These crops also had efficiency advantage in regional level according to Pishva County cropping pattern Analysis. The analysis of the comparative advantage of greenhouse products at the regional level showed that cucumber, colored pepper and tomatoes had comparative advantage in the province of Tehran. The revealed comparative advantage also showed that cucumbers, colored peppers and greenhouse tomatoes, along with cabbage (leaves, flowers and broccoli), have an export advantage at the national level. Therefore, the optimal cropping pattern of the agricultural unit can be reached through continuing the current cropping pattern along with the addition of greenhouse products with regional advantage and cabbage crop with national and export advantage.