فصلنامه تحقیقات اقتصاد و توسعه کشاورزی ایران
سال پنجاهم شماره 3 (پاییز 1398)

The use of chemical inputs seriously threaten the sustainability of crop production due to the erosion and destruction of soil health, in such a way that it has been always put into question and concerns for it have been growing. The current study was conducted to investigate the factors influensing the application of chemical fertilizers in saffron farms in Gonabad County. To this end, the descriptive-correlation research method was used. The study statistical population consisted of all saffron farmers in Gonabad. Proportional random sampling procedure was used in which 105 saffron farmers were selected. The data collection tool was a questionnaire that its. Face validity  was confirmed by the professors of agricultural economics. Also, the reliability of questions related to attitude towards sustainable agriculture was evaluated by conducting a pilot study in which the Cronbach’s alpha was calculated as 0.698. Afterwards, a two-stage Heckman model was carried out to investigate factors affecting the use of chemical fertilizers. Based on the results, the coefficient of attitude towards sustainable agriculture in both stages was negative and significant, which represents that improvement of farmers' attitude effectively reduces the use of chemical fertilizers. While the coefficients of variables of farmers' income, age, education level, and agricultural insurance are positive and significant in both stages and increase the probability and amount of using fertilizers by farmers. Based on the findings, adopting appropriate strategies for familiarizing saffron farmers with sustainable agricultural practices, luding trust of reliable and experienced farmers to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, and reforming the structure of agricultural insurance system plays a decisive role in improving the farmers’ consumption pattern of chemical fertilizers.

In the choice experiment process, some respondents might not attend to all presented attributes when evaluating and choosing their preferred options. This leads to the heterogeneity of respondents' behavior. In order to consider this heterogeneity in the process of choosing organic tea consumers in Tehran, in the current study, a new approach of endogenous attribute attendance (EAA) in the logit model has been used. Data and information needed for this study were obtained by 405 questionnaires completely randomly from Tehran consumers. The results of the estimation of two logit conditional models with all attributes and the Logit model with endogenous attribute attendance (EAA), suggest that the logit model with endogenous attribute attendance (EAA), has better compatibility with the data and behavior of respondents. In addition, the results of estimating the willingness to pay for the two models are different from each other. Regarding the willing to pay consumers for organic tea characteristics, it is proposed to raise awareness about the benefits of organic tea to raise the health of the community.

Dust phenomenon with the effect on different parts of society, is one of the important challenges in the world. So, accurate assessment of the effects of dust and consequently codification of regional and global policies are necessary for reducing the negative effects of this phenomenon. Therefore, in this study, the willingness to pay of Ahvaz County people for improving air quality in the face of the dust phenomenon was estimated using contingent valuation method and logit model. Data were gathered by 144 questionnaires using dual two-dimensional method of people in Ahvaz County in 2016. In this study, willingness to pay was estimated for improving air quality in Ahvaz at two levels of typical decrease in pollution (appropriate for doing everyday tasks) and decrease to international standards which was a study performing for the first time in Iran. In current study, in both levels, the variables of income and age positively impacted on the probability of accepting the offered price and while the variable of suggestion negatively impacted on the probability of accepting the offered prices. In addition to the two mentioned variables, the number of household members showed a significant and negative for reducing pollution to typical levels. In case of international standards, membership in organizations related to natural resources and agriculture department and gender variables had negative influence while education showed a significant and positive impact. In this study, the proposed value to pay in the first and second levels (suggested levels) were 10619 and 24851 Rials, respectively.

Nowadays, a large amount of information has disturbed people in decision making. In this way, human access to critical thinking is considered as an essential solution to the exodus of these confusion. The aim of this descriptive-correlation study was Study of Critical Thinking Skills of Faculty Members of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the state and Azad Universities in Isfahan. The statistical population of the study consisted of 168 faculty members, study sample were determined by Cochran’s Formula of 117 individuals. In this study, stratified random sampling with probability proportionate manner was used. Research tool included California Critical Thinking Skills Test (Form B). The validity of the research tool was confirmed by the opinion of the professors of the Agricultural Extension and Education Department of the University of Tehran. To determine the reliability of the Critical Thinking Questionnaire, Kuder Richardson's formula (0.82) was used. Data were analyzed using SPSSwin23. The results showed that the critical thinking skills of faculty members at a low level. The results of critical faculty subtest tests show that the subcritical reasoning (5.47) of 16, the inductive reasoning (4.16) of 14, the evaluation (4.26) of 14, the inference (3.82) of 11 and analysing (2.75) of 9. Cluster analysis findings showed that faculty members are classified into five clusters (assessment and growth inductive reasoning, critical thinking is relatively grown, undeveloped critical thinking, growing critical thinking, critical thinking is freezing).

The purpose of this study was to identify and weigh the criteria for assessing the Sustainable Development of Ecotourism (SDE) and measure the level of SDE in the tourist poles of Lorestan province. The criteria were extracted by reviewing previous studies and weighted by AHP analysis. The statistical population consisted of 31 tourism experts from the center of the province and the cities that all of them were selected by census method and the required data were collected regarding the weighting of criteria and the determination of seven eco-touristic areas. Data were analyzed using Expert Choice and Excel softwares. According to the results, seven criteria for measuring SDE were important in cluding security of tourists (relative weight of 0.255), natural condition (0.169), recreational attraction (0.163), social acceptance and participation of local people (0.133), the existence of tourism infrastructure (0.110), governmental support of the region (0.087) and creation of economic opportunities for the region (0.083). Also, based on the sum of criteria, the most susceptible areas for the SDE in Lorestan province were respectively Gahar Lake, Bisheh Waterfall, Absefid Waterfall, Nozhian Waterfall, Grit Waterfall, Wark Waterfall and canyon of Shirz. Although Gahar Lake and Bisheh Waterfall have the highest average in terms of criteria, other areas also have capabilities that, with the support of the government and the private sector, can be possible to reduce weaknesses in order to SDE.

Increasing demand for water resources due to population growth and economic development on one hand, and water loss and rainfall reduction, on the other hand, have required attention to the demand for water at macro level and policy making. With regard to the new approach of countries in virtual water trade and according to the Heckcher-Oholian theory (H-O), the study of virtual water trade will provide valuable points for planners and policymakers in the water and agriculture sector. In this study, the factors affecting virtual water trade (VWT) using the gravity model (GM) based on the H-O theory was studied. to this end, using the World Bank and FAO international databases, wheat crop statistics were collected in selected countries over a period of 4 years’ period of 5 years from 1994 to 2013. During the study period, the total volume of imported and exported wheat was 44.1 and 235.7 billion cubic meters, respectively. The highest effect on GM is on wheat cultivar with a coefficient of -2.54. Considering the ineffectiveness of water prices on virtual water trade, it is possible to pay a special attention to the rationale of water pricing in order to differentiate water tariffs.

The efficiency of irrigation and agricultural management in irrigation associations is one of the important indicators in evaluating the management of irrigation networks. In this study, the efficiency of irrigation and agricultural management of each of the 20 Water User Associations (WUAS) in Khuzestan province was estimated using data envelopment analysis and their performances were evaluated and compared with each other. The results showed that agricultural management and agricultural production efficiency have more priority than the efficiency of irrigation management and water saving in irrigation schemes. Also, the findings indicate that the technical weakness of water bodies in irrigation management is about the efficiency of their scale and the reason for inefficiency in agricultural management is weakness in operation management of the irrigation network and collecting water. The results also showed that the optimal efficiency of irrigation and agriculture management depends on the management performance of water users in the context of interaction between the executive bodies of the water and agriculture ministry.

The main purpose of this study was to assess of the role management in the performance of the rural production cooperatives of Isfahan province and presenting the comprehensive model of the effective factors in improving the performance of the cooperatives. The currect study was and applied research in terms of purpose, and was a survey in terms of its method. The statistical population of the study was the components of rural production cooperatives in Isfahan province (general assembly, board of directors, inspector or inspectors). The sample size was calculated by Cochran's formula and 375 respondents were selected by stratified cluster sampling. Results showed that cooperative management among the independent research variables had the most direct impact on the performance of rural production cooperatives. In the presented model, a new cycle was identified, which we called the Cooperation Commitment Cycle that this cycle can be very beneficial to cooperative managers in improving cooperatives performance. Also, in this study, the optimal survival time of Chief Executive Officer ofthe cooperatives was estimated at four years. On the other hand, the results indicated that the directing dimension had the most factor loadings among the dimensions of cooperative management.

Agricultural extension has become an important structural policy tool to help farmers to be more competitive in the world market. Extension activities are being pulled in many directions and a wide range of activities. However although public extension organizations are common in developing counties, they are often their effectiveness is limited by many deficiencies and challenges and extension system as failing. So, the extension organization has not succeeded and the current extension model needs to be reformed. Therefore, in this research, we have tried to study the causes of the failure of agricultural extension through Classical Grounded Theory (CGT). In this regard, the statistical population of the study was members of the Khorramabad Agricultural Jihad and opinion leaders in the Khorramabad which were selected by purposeful sampling (15 persons). In the correct study, the result of coding collected data in different ways such as interview, observation and documents, which led to extract of 90 concepts and 15 categories. The results showed that categories "lack of attention to the agricultural sector", "executive policies", "economic factors", "structural weaknesses", "management weaknesses", "lack of technical and personal knowledge of experts", "The weakness of the system of higher education" and "weakness in facilities" were the reasons for the failure of agricultural extension. Strategic categories also include "reviewing the training of experts and empowering them," "focusing on farmers' wants and needs," "providing effective planning and plans", "monitoring and accountability", "occupational safety" and "balance between the pillars of extension". In this regard, suggestion following is forwarded, the categories of the training of experts their and empowerment, which in this regard suggested that mid-career training classes in order to update the knowledge of the staff and increase their knowledge and skills, they should be held.

Empowerment of rural households is one of the main issues in developing countries such as Iran. The main objective of this study is the issue of social empowerment of rural households covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation in relation to the implementing policies of this institution. The central region of Guilan province was selected as the spatial realm of this stydy. Six cities in the central region of Guilan had a total of 53381 grant recipients. According to Kerjesi Morgan's table, the sample size in the current study will be 382 grant recipients. This sample size was distributed according to the relative share of grant recipients in each of the studied cities. Finally, 345 complete and error-free questionnaires were gathered. The findings showed that the psychological level of grant recipients with an average score of 3.03 was better than other social empowerment indicators. Finally, the average score for social empowerment of rural households covered by Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation in the central region of Guilan is 2. 59. Also, the finging showed that rural grant recipients in the central region of Guilan province had the most satisfaction from the policy of directing credits arising from targeting subsidies with an average score of 2.46 and had the least satisfaction from the policy of paying Qarz Al-Hasaneh minor credits with an average score of 2.4%. Pearson correlation coefficient's results indicated that three variables, such as participation level of clients, welfare and quality of life, and literacy and education of grant recipients had a significant relationship with all policies. On the other hand, the psychological variable of grant recipients was found to be significant only with the policy of payingQarz Al-Hasaneh minor credits. Finally, the study of the correlation between the social empowerment variable and the quadratic policies indicate that this issue is related to all four studied policies.

This study aimed to investigate the role of social network ties and organizational commitment on organizational citizenship behavior of agricultural extension staff Isfahan Province. The present research in terms of purpose is applied and in terms of collecting data, it is a survey type. The statistical population of this research is 170 field experts of agricultural extension of Isfahan province, 130 of them were randomly selected using Cochran formula. The research instrument was a questionnaire which its validity was verified by face and discriminant method and its reliability was confirmed by ordinal Teta coefficient. The statistical dominant method was the structural equation modeling partial least squares method. The overall result of the research showed that the organizational citizenship behavior of staff in two dimensions of loyalty and cooperation, regardless of the impressionability of organizational commitment and social network ties, depends more on their organizational commitment and this is while Service dimension of Organizational citizenship behavior were impressed by the social network tie and organizational commitment variable did not show any significant role in this regard. Therefore, it seems that social network tie and organizational commitment of staff as two important assets of the organization play an important role in the formation of extra role behaviors. This implies that the review of interpersonal relationships among staff will play an important role in predicting employee behavior in the organizational environment.

Agrisulture has been changed through the centuries so that in the recent decades more chemichals are used for improving farm productivity. This trend has been criticized by many experts because using more external inputs damages the environment. In order to cope with this problem, some solutions were introduced and applied by different countries. Organic farming is one of promising solutions which is based on reducing use of external inputs and moreattention to organic matter, green manure and biological control of pests and diseases. Organic faming has substantial capacity and potential to fulfill food needs of international society thorough sustainable use of resources.This system is known as one of the most sustainable farming system which meet both objectvives of food security and sustainability simultaneousely.success of organic farming system depends on some prerequisites out of which access to organic inputs and specific services are very important.Organic farming services needs to be provided by government or private sector to the farmers. It includes consultancy, education, information, farm inputs and enabling regulations specefically in the area of certification of produce and standardization of farming processes.Farmers face some barriers to get access to these services. In order to extend organic farming these services should be easily delivered to farming communities and the barriers should be removed by applying appropriate mechanisms. The present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and analyzing mechanisms to improve farmers’ access to organic farming services in Qom province. The statistical population of this study consisted of 16000 farmers, out of which 262 people were selected and interviewed as sample using Cochran formula and proportionate stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used for data gathering. Validity of the instrument was approved by a panel judgment of experts and faculty members in University of Tehran. Its reliability was approved using Cronbach alpha coefficient (α=0.75). LISRELwin8.5 and SPSSwin18 software were used to analyze the data. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to determine weights of each mechanism and categorize them.  The results revealed that among mechanisms to improve farmer’s access to organic farming services, advisory-guidance services, improving farmer’s capabilities to access organic farming inputs, access to credit and information-communication services play an important role. In the process of getting access to consulting and advisory services farmers can contact with village and farm extension workers to learn how to use organic agricultural inputs. This counseling and guidance services increase farmers' awareness and knowledge on organic farming and through this mechanism they get familiar with related actors in private sector. Given the importance of providing advisory and guidance services to farmers who are interested in transitioning from conventional to organic farming, it is recommended that the regional organizations develop and implement a plan to provide these services. It is important to encourage engineering-consulting companies as well as the private sector to provide these services, which can, of course, be in the form of annual contracts with farmers and field audit. At least, a part of this plan should include training courses for farmers in the area of organic farming. It is also recommended that credit institutions and banks, especially agricultural banks, adopt low interest lines to support the development of organic farming.  According to the fitness indices, the model for measuring the mechanisms for improving the access of farmers to services and the production of organic products were valid and acceptable. The indicators of each construct were identified and introduced by referring to the coefficients.

Nowadays, empowering of human resources in organizations is important factors that it can gait toward mobility of organization. Also, empowerment can provide necessary equipment for reveal organizational citizenship behavior. The purpose of this research was analyzing the relationship between Psychological Empowerment (PE) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) among ministry of Jihad-e-Keshavarzi staffs.Research design of this applied study was descriptive–correlational. The Statistical population of study consisted of staffs who worked in deputies of Jihad-e-Keshavarzi ministry (N=1222). Sample size was estimated by Krejcie and Morgan’s table (n=295) and respondents were studied using stratified random sampling.Technique a questionnaire was Research instrument was used to collect dotg. Face and content validity considered by panel expert of agricultural extension and education and Organizational Behavior and human resource management. Reliability of questionnaire was determined by pilot test and then Cronbach alpha calculated 0.78 and 0.85. Findings showed that components of competency, self-determination, impact, meaning and trust had positive and significant correlation with OCB. Linear regression results showed that trust explains 32.5% of OCB variance between Staffs of Jihad-e-Keshavarzi ministry.