The Role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Formation of the Apricot Value Chain in Mahneshan County

The purpose of this descriptive-correlational research was to explain the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the formation of the apricot value chain in Mahneshan Township. The statistical population of the study was apricot growers of central region in Mahneshan connty (N=320). The sample size determined via the Cochran formula (n=118). The sampling method was simple random sampling. The research instrument was a researcher-designed questionnaire. Content validity of the questionnaire verified by the panel of experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by calculating the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients in the desirable range (greater than 0.7). Descriptive results showed that the mean for components of the ICTs including information resources, resource usage level, and accessibility level were 1.687, 1.188, and 1.957, respectively. Furthermore, the calculated mean value for apricot value chain was obtained 1.957 out of 6. Findings of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that this variable could explain about 67% of the variation of apricot value chain formation in Mahneshan county. The two components of access rate and the use of resources with the values of 0.37 and 0.25, had the highest and lowest effect on the formation of apricot value chain, respectivel.