International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development
Volume:5 Issue: 3, Sep 2015

This paper aims to study the role of women in agricultural promotion and its effect on rural development. Research method in this study was based on a survey and the required information was collected through questionnaire from a sample of women especially rural women. The data were analyzed using Logit model. The results showed that women had a major role in farming including producion, conservation, and destructing. The results also showed that women had a great tendency for participating in extension classes to improve their knowledge for sustainable development. Considering the results, it was necessary to provide the life facilities and necessities, awareness women especially rural women with group media and organizing the promotional and educational classes for reaching the sustainable development.

Conventional agriculture systems of production often lead to environmental degradation, economic problems and even social conflict. The efficacy of agriculture systems conducive to the economic, environmental and social sustainability of farming operations has been demonstrated, yet the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is not widespread. This study evaluates the barriers of sustainable agriculture by wheat farmers in Takestan using a descriptive–correlation survey methodology. This quantitative study was based on a Researcher made questionnaire designed to elicit the barriers to adoption of sustainable agriculture practices perceived by a sample of 149 wheat farmers in the Takestan (N=268), through a stratified random sampling technique. Instrument validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. The reliability estimated by Cronbach’s coefficient (α=0.905). The data has been analyzed using the SPSS (16). The results revealed that the high cost of sustainable agriculture was the most important barriers in its implementation (M=4.74). The findings of multiple regressions explained that farmer’s attitudes and practices of sustainable agriculture explained 89 percent of the variance of the barriers of sustainable agriculture. Farmer’s attitudes had the most influence on the determination of the barriers of sustainable agriculture (β=0.775).

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the major barriers to application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) technologies in sustainability of livestock by ranchers of Meshkinshahr. A sample of 120 farmers was selected by using proportional random sampling method. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire. Validity of questionnaire was determined through Agricultural Jihad exports of Meshkinshahr County and some faculty members at University of Tehran, Department of Agricultural Management and Development. Cronbach’s alpha was used to estimate the reliability. The reliability was found to be acceptable. The results ofFactor Analysis showed that infrastructure barriers, informational- educational barriers, institutional-support barriers, personal barriers, economical barriers were the five barriers to application of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) technologies in livestock unites. These factors explained 67.23 percent of the total variance.

The purpose of research was analysis of innovation management in processing and complementary industries of livestock products. The method of research was correlative descriptive. The statistical population of this study was all managers in processing and complementary industries of livestock products of Khouzestan Province (N=486). The sampling method was stratified random sampling. The sample size was a (n=125). A questionnaire was developed to gather information regarding innovation management in processing and complementary industries of livestock products. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). According to the results, the correlation between innovation management with participation in special course, accountability, risk taking, tend to be creative, competitiveness, attitude to innovation management and obtained credit was significant. Based on regression analysis participation in special course, accountability, risk taking, tend to be creative, competitiveness and attitude to innovation management may well explain for 42.9% changes (R2=0.429) in level of innovation management. According to path analysis, competitiveness and attitude to innovation management were the most important variables influencing the innovation management.

In this paper asymmetric price transmission mechanism and nonlinear adjustment between producer and retail prices of milk were examined in Zanjan Province of Iran. For this purpose, a Two-Regime Threshold Vector Error Correction Model (TVECM) and a Sup-LM Test developed by Hansen and Seo (2002) were employed for checking presence of a threshold effect. Application of unit root tests indicated that both wholesale and retail prices are I (1), and Johansen test verified cointegration of the series in the long-run. Results of the Sup-LM test confirmed threshold adjustment of product price towards the long-run equilibrium. Furthermore, results obtained from TVECM revealed that the coefficient of ECT is significant only in the first regime of retailing equation implying that retailers significantly respond to the decreasing deviations from the long-run equilibrium. While adjustment coefficient is not significant for wholesale equation in both regimes to imply that there is not significant inclination to react to deviations from the long-run equilibrium among the wholesalers despite the retailers.

The present study sustainable management of Guilan Saravan Sylvan Park was planned. The used method in the form of decision support model in three10-year period was studied for parks of various states and with considering the economic, ecological and social criteria during the years 2008 to 2038. By using hierarchical fuzzy analysis method, the reaching to an optimal level of economic, ecological and social simultaneously and as their combined utility values in various periods, decisions and different states of park is obtained. The results showed that in order to reach to an optimal level of purposes simultaneously, at the beginning of the first 10-year period implementation of ecological decision, at the beginning of the second 10 years period in three considered states for the Sylvan Park implementation of social, ecological and ecological decisions give the most combined utility value of purposes respectively. Results of stochastic dynamic programming showed that implementing the ecological decisions at the beginning of the first 10-year period, implementing the ecological decision by considering the second designed state of park at the beginning of the second 10-year period, and by applying the first designed state of park at the beginning of third 10-year-old period, the implementation of social decisions is desirable to achieve sustainable management in Saravan Sylvan Park. According to the findings, the implementation of these determined decisions can be useful and maximum of desirable use from Park potentials in the economic, social - recreational and conservation and sustainability of indigenous species problems, and reposit the park to the next generation with the best condition.

This paper examines factors that predispose pastoralist women to social and environmental vulnerability and how the women cope with their livelihoods when their husbands relocate with cattle during dry season. The paper adopts a case study research design to select Kwara State of Nigeria where focus groups discussions and interviews were held to elicit information. It was found that food insecurity, low incomes, seasonal changes, conflict, and culture deter women from sustaining a well-being. The study recommends that organisations and policy makers should capitalise on indigenous knowledge when designing measures to reduce people’s vulnerability as this would enhance their livelihood sustainability.

The benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for agricultural extension purposes and activities are obvious. The main objective of this article is to identify encouraging and discouraging factors in application of ICTs in agricultural extension in Isfahan province of Iran. This study investigated areas of ICTs application by Extension Workers (EWs), too. The research design was a descriptive method. The population includes 320 Isfahan province EWs that 200 person were choose by census and stratified sampling methods. In our contribution we focused on finding. Face and content validity of the questionnaire was established using a panel of experts consisting of faculty members in the Departments of Agricultural Education and Extension, Tarbiat Modares University and extension officers in the Isfahan Province Agricultural Jihad Organization. Cronbach's Alpha to estimate the reliability of the instrument was among 82.6 - 87.8. On the ranking of principal areas of applying ICTs by EWs in extension “typing letters/report”, and “prepare and protect file on process basic agricultural and rural information”, and “access to the latest agricultural news and information”, had most usage. The main result of the study revealed that the EWs in the study approximately use ICT quite a bit. For EWs ICT Encouraging Items Principal Factor Analysis extracted four factors which accounted for 76.24% of the total variance. And Factor analysis for EWs ICT discouraging Items extracted six factors which accounted for 62.84% of the total variance.

In this study, the comparative advantage of main agricultural products and its relation to cropping pattern was studied in Ilam Province. For data analyzing the comparative advantage and government policies effects indices, Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM) were used. The obtained results for the comparative advantage indices of Domestic Resource Cost (DRC), Social Cost Benefit (SCB) and Net Social Profitability (NSP) show that production of irrigated wheat, dry-farming wheat and dry-farming barely has not comparative advantage in Ilam Province but the production of irrigated barely, corn, dry-farming pea, dry-farming lentil, watermelon, cucumber and tomato have comparative advantage in Ilam Province. In addition, the obtained results for NPIC index show the Nominal Government Protection of inputs in all products. Also, Nominal Protection Coefficient index indicated that nominal market protection of products like wheat (irrigated and dry-farming) and barely (irrigated and dry-farming) was positive and those of other products were negative and the Effective Protection Coefficient for wheat and barley had the highest values. The results showed that the existing cropping pattern was not allotted with comparative advantage but is related to the effective protection coefficient.

Agriculture and its development is the foundation of development in Iran as a developing country. So, it can be regarded as the foundation for economical and social development. The capabilities of agriculture sector are limited and its efficiency is trivial because of neglecting agricultural development and keeping its support just as a slogan. The transformation of agriculture to a developed, dynamic, efficient environment depends not only on appropriate climate and natural resources but also on human resource development in the relevant sector. The main purpose of the present research was to study and recognize agricultural development indicators from agriculture experts’ viewpoints (including researchers, trainers and extension experts) in six provinces in Iran on the basis of Adjacent Provinces Plan. The study was designed with three phases of theoretical foundations, field operations and data analysis. The statistical population was 863 experts, out of which 198 experts were selected by stratified sampling. The validity and reliability of measurement tool (questionnaire) was analyzed by SPSS software package. The study was a correlation-descriptive study in which factor analysis statistics was used in addition to descriptive statistics. Experts grouped indicators of future agricultural development in nine groups (access to inputs, application of technologies for the development of human resource and sustainability; reduction of losses;economical development; improvement of infrastructures; agricultural mechanization; social status; improvement of marketing; land reform; yield increase). Results about the difference in respondents’ viewpoints revealed significant differences in experts’ viewpoints in six studied province about relevant variables and in their viewpoints about the components of agricultural development (infrastructure improvement, marketing, optimum management and sustainability, human resource development and economical development).