The Effects of Educational, Extension, and Research Factors on the Development of Medicinal Plants in Markazi Province of Iran

The main objective of this study was identifying the effects of educational, extension and research factors on the development of medicinal plants in Markazi Province of Iran. The statistical population included all managers, extension agents and experts involved in medicinal plants in Markazi Province in 2014 (N = 50), who were selected by the census sampling method (n=50). The research instrument was a questionnaire whose face and content validity were confirmed by a panel of experts and specialists of medicinal plants and also its reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha to be 0.78. Results showed that some factors such as informing and training the people about medicinal plants via television and training the physicians about medicinal plants benefits prove more effective in the development of this industry. On the other hand, from among five main factors which explained the variance of medicinal plants development factors, the following three factors have priority: training and extension of medicinal plants (Var. =16.54), educational standards of medicinal plants (Var. =13.18), and technical and vocational education (Var. =11.48). Also, the variables of education level, job experience in agriculture section, current attitude towards development of prescribing medicinal plants by physicians, current amount of using medicinal plants capacity in the province, and assessment of current attitudes toward medicinal plants production, have caused more significant difference in the view of statistical sample about the effect of some educational, extension and research factors on the medicinal plants industry development.