نشریه مطالعات کارآفرینی و توسعه پایدار کشاورزی
سال دوم شماره 4 (پیاپی 8، زمستان 1394)

Development and promotion of entrepreneurial culture among people in particular rural people and farmers is one the strategies that are particularly stressed by the scholars. In the past, these strategies have been used by some governments consciously or unconsciously. Necessity of considering the entrepreneurship as a sensitive issue in Iranian society and the role of agricultural cooperatives in the development and promotion of the entrepreneurship are perceived more than past. What acknowledged the effectiveness of this approach in the development of the communities are positive effects of entrepreneurship. The present study, which is a review one, aims at both addressing the importance of entrepreneurship in the cooperative sector, the role of agricultural cooperatives in country’s economy, in employment, development and promoting of entrepreneurship, and identifying factors and indicators affect the development and promotion of entrepreneurship through cooperatives. The results showed that agricultural cooperatives can play a significant role in entrepreneurial activities such as research and educational activities, advisory services, access to credits, access to equipment and facilities of agricultural productions, providing the necessary tools for handicrafts, and marketing products. Moreover, the most important majors and activities that may promote entrepreneurship through cooperatives includes organizing the resources and possibilities, workplace establishment, risk-ability in productive activities, selfemployment, creativity and innovation at work, employment, predicting and identifying supply, demand and needs.

Energy is a foundation stone of the modern industrial economy. Energy provides an essential ingredient for almost all human activities. No country has managed to develop much beyond a subsistence economy without ensuring at least minimum access to energy services for a broad section of its population. One of the main aspects of sustainable development is the use of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydrogen and other cases of this kind. Due to the large population in rural areas of the country, scattered villages and the high cost of transporting gas to the villages, lack of sanitation in rural areas and environmental pollution, the use of biogas technology in rural areas over the past few decades is considered. This review paper has used internal and external literature reviews of the biogas after explain the importance and the role of new and renewable energies in the world, investigate the problems of villages of Sistan related to energy supply. Then due to the potential of using biogas in Sistan region, its advantages, role of biogas in rural areas and its impact on entrepreneurship and create sustainable jobs and the role of biogas in rural development were discuses. Finally the some practical recommendations for using this clean, cheap and value energy in the villages of Sistan are provided.

The main purpose of this study was to identifying entrepreneurial attitudes of agriculture students by using Q methodology. The dominant paradigm of this study was mixed methodology (qualitative - quantitative). The study population of this study consisted of all the fourth year undergraduate agriculture students at Razi University that 30 of whom were selected for the study by using purposefully method and focus group discussion technique. Based on interviews with students in the focus groups discussion, 36 statements were extracted that in the form of a questionnaire consisted of 36 cards and a letter of response (Q diagram) was presented to the students in order to determine the extent of their agreement or disagreement with them. The data was analyzed by using SPSSWin20 software and Q exploratory factor analysis. The results of this study revealed that entrepreneurial attitudes of agriculture students at Razi University was consisted five dimensions; effort oriented, creative, risk-taking, responsible, and manager oriented. Results of this study have applications for planners of higher agricultural education system in order to improving the entrepreneurial attitudes of agricultural students.

There is a little systematic knowledge in the field of micro-entrepreneurship in the economy of developing countries. Although, micro-entrepreneurship has the potential for poverty reduction and national development, but in developing countries, have been used solely as a poverty reduction strategy. The nature of micro-entrepreneurship, in developing countries is different of developed ones. In developed countries, individuals move towards to creation micro-enterprises, with high human capital, but in developing countries, micro-enterprises form in informal sector and relying on low human capital, low personal or family financial capital, individual or family labor work and low social capital. This paper investigates the role of business development programs in micro-entrepreneurship and compares the nature of micro-entrepreneurship in developing countries with developed ones and Finally, discusses on mechanisms of micro-entrepreneur's success in developing countries that among which, we could point to individual characteristics of micro-entrepreneurs and their families, access to financial resources, providing appropriate human capital, social capital and external factors related to micro and macroeconomic situation of the country and the quality of infrastructures and institutions in the country.

One of significant approaches pursued by Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation is to perform tasks leading to independence, self-confidence and enthusiastic to job, so the increasing of such activities in the recent years compare to previous years signifies its importance. The aim of these activities helps families’ income and create complementary job in order to increase families’ welfare. Therefore, studying the clients’ inclination towards the job creation plans of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, can figure out the extent of effectiveness of such plans regarding the development of entrepreneurship for the poor groups. The present study firstly seeks to examine the effects of micro-loans of Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation on job creation via studying the theoretical foundations and literature review. Then by the case study with data gathered from some of Gorgan’s clients of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, their views about inclining to job creation plans are studied. The results show that the most significant factors for inclination towards these plans include clients’ awareness of the plans, good experience of other clients’ related to plans, appropriateness of deadlines for loan repayments, clients’ trust on loan payment, reaching self-sufficiency in short-time period, satisfaction about ease of loan payment and creation of entrepreneurship skills in clients. The study provides some recommendation include clarification of goals relating to the job creation plans and asking the clients for affordable bank letters of guaranty.

Entrepreneurship education programs have been lauded for decades for their role in fostering students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and skills. However, there is a scarcity in the literature exploring learning environment in these programs. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine agricultural students’ perceptions of their classroom environment in entrepreneurship courses and to investigate relationships between these perceptions and students’ satisfaction with the courses and their perceptions of opportunity identification. Perception data were gathered by questionnaire from 105 agricultural students at two Iranian universities. Overall, respondents assessed the learning environment as average. Therefore, improvements are required across all seven dimensions of the learning environment. Correlation analysis revealed that students’ perceptions of their learning environment in entrepreneurship were significantly associated with their course satisfaction and opportunity identification perceptions. Especially, the results revealed that students’ satisfaction and opportunity identification perception were significantly greater in students who highly valued encouragement by education. The study discusses these findings and provides some recommendations on how to improve the learning environments and learning outcomes.

Research and Development (R&D) units have an important role in creation of knowledge and technology, emergence of innovative ideas, reforming processes and technical methods and providing bases for entrepreneurship development in all kind of businesses. Accordingly, economical firms and businesses tend to the creating and developing R&D. In food industries also, managers paid attention to the importance of R&D and tried to create new R&D units. Based on previous researches, different kinds of internal and external factors affecting the success of R&D units. In this study, the concept and functions of R&D units have been discussed and in another part, the most important factors affecting the success of R&D units in Iranian food industries have been assessed. The statistical population consisted of managers of R&D units in food industry enterprise countrywide. 72 persons were selected as sample using random sampling. Also, a questionnaire was used as the major tool for data gathering that its validity was confirmed by panel of expert. The principal components consisted of three main intra-organizational factors: Human factors, procedural factors and structural factors. Based on the main research findings, it was recommended some suggestions for improvement of the factors to achieve a higher degree of effectiveness in the related R&D systems in food industry in Iran.