The effect of Guilani paddy farmers' participation in rice integrated pest management projects with emphasis on environmental protection indicators (Case study; Fooman city, Guilan province)

Concerns about food security, food health, community health, as well as preventing the destruction of natural resources, led to the formation of the concept of sustainable agriculture. One of the important ways to implement sustainable agriculture is to implement integrated pest management projects. Rice integrated pest management as a management and ecological approach can be an effective step in preserving the environment by reducing the consumption of inputs such as pesticides and chemical pests. Implementing integrated pest management operations, unlike chemical control methods, is associated with many complexities and requires the full cooperation and participation of farmers. So present research was aimed effect of paddy farmers' participation in rice integrated pest management projects with emphasis on environmental protection indicators in Fooman township of Guilan province.

The method of the present research is mixed research (quantitative-qualitative) in terms of general approach and applied in terms of purpose. The research was conducted in two stages. In the qualitative stage, a group of 30 experts and farmers (experts in sustainable agriculture and integrated pest management) were selected as snowballs and interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis using Maxqda software and the validity of the findings was confirmed using the triangulation method. In a quantitative stage, from 16 cities of Guilan province, Fooman township was randomly selected. The researcher-made questionnaire was then distributed among 323 farmers participating in the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) project. The participation rate was assessed in the form of five items with a Likert scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Frequency and percentage were used in the descriptive part and Spearman correlation coefficient was used in the inferential part.

The study of rice farmers 'participation in rice integrated pest management projects in Fooman township showed that the level of rice farmers' participation in the project was moderate to good from their point of view. As a result, most participants had a moderate level of participation (58.82%). The results showed that the participation of paddy farmers in integrated pest management projects has a significant correlation at the level of one percent with the exception of a few cases with other effects presented by the interviewees (IPM team of experts and informants). But in terms of economic effects, paddy farmers had different views from the experts studied. According to the rice farmers of Fooman township, their participation did not show a significant relationship with economic effects such as reducing rice production costs, increasing rice production and increasing income, as well as increasing the possibility of co-cultivation with the environmental effect.

Complex IPM projects to be implemented require the full involvement of farmers. The study of the impact of the participation of paddy farmers in Fooman township in the implementation of such projects and the evaluation of their positive effects by farmers on the continuity and strengthening of these projects with adequate funding and appropriate training by farmers and city officials.