فصلنامه تحقیقات اقتصاد و توسعه کشاورزی ایران
سال پنجاه و چهارم شماره 1 (بهار 1402)

The present study aims to analyze farmers' perceptions of drought management solutions in small-scale farming units. The statistical population included all small-scale farmers in Isfahan province (166030 people) who were exposed to drought conditions. Using Morgan table, the sample size was determined by stratified proportionate sampling method of 394 people and the data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. The results showed that the most important solutions used by farmers for drought management are "increasing information about drought and ways to deal with it", "better management of agricultural water", "timely irrigation", "planting windbreaks around" "Farms like poplar" and "seasonal migration to the surrounding areas for income." In order to categorize these solutions, factor analysis was used and a total of 5 factors such as irrigation management and moisture conservation solution; proper management of agricultural operations; household economy optimization solution; communication and information strengthening solution and “Social affairs adjustment solutions” were identified and named. The extracted factors explained 52.852% of the total variance changes, and at the end, based on the research findings, suggestions for increasing the adaptability of by small-scale farmers to climate change and drought were presented.

Extension and education of farmers in the innovative use of production resources plays an important role in the optimal use of resources. The main purpose of this study was to compare the technical efficiency of wheat production between the provinces implementing the new agricultural extension system and other provinces in Iran. The required data were obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture's website for the period of 2015-2019 and their analysis was performed using data envelopment analysis method. The results showed that the mean of input-oriented technical efficiency under constant and variable efficiency in the provinces implementing the new agricultural extension system was 0.59 and 0.75 and in other provinces was 0.56 and 0.72, respectively. Also, the amount of technical efficiency under constant and variable efficiency in the provinces implementing the new agricultural extension system is 0.58 and 0.66 and in other provinces was 0.55 and 0.62, respectively. Since the technical efficiency of input-oriented in two group of provinces has been statistically different, it can be said that the implementation of the new promotion system has reduced the consumption of wheat production inputs. Considering the success of the implementation of the new extension system, it is recommended that the government pay attention to the implementation of this system in all provinces and not unilateral support for a limited number of specific provinces.

According to the geographical and agricultural conditions, production of flowers and ornamental plants have a suitable situation in Iran. Alborz province is one of the potential areas in this field. Thus, this study aimed to analyze flower and ornamental plants development strategies in this province. The statistical population of study consisted of growers of flower and ornamental plants in Alborz province (N= 1260), out of which 135 people determined as sample using Cochran sampling formula and simple sampling technique. A questionnaire was the main tool of study. Validity of the questionnaire was approved by a panel of experts and construct validity using AVE Index. In order to measure the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability (CR) were calculated. The data were analyzed by SPSS22 and Smart PLS softwares. The finding revealed that, "facilitation-support" and "production process improvement" strategies were in the highest ranks and "research and technology" and "agricultural education and extension and human resources development" strategies were in the lowest ranks for development of the flower and ornamental plants industry. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that, flower and ornamental plants development strategies' measurement model consist of seven main elements: "marketing and sales", "agricultural education and extension and human resources development", "infrastructure and facilities development", "production process improvement", "expert development", "research and technology" and "facilitation-support" was homogeneous and the reliability of the Indicators was approved.

The occurrence of climate change and variability, through changes in the supply and price of crops, overshadows the profitability of production in this sector and the share of food in consumer income. Therefore, social surpluses would fluctuate with physical and economic access to food. Accordingly, to make effective policies to adapt to new climatic conditions, accurate estimates of the welfare changes that will occur as a result of climatic events are needed. According to this approach, in the present study, the potential effects of different climatic scenarios on the cultivation pattern of the Hamadan-Bahar plain were investigated, and the impact of water resources, production, and food security in the agricultural sector of this plain was evaluated. The results showed that with the combined effect of climate change and variability, along with a 44% increase in agricultural consumption from the aquifer of this plain during the 20-year planning period, the present value of consumer and producer surplus and also, total economic welfare in the region's agricultural sector would decrease by 27%, increase by 16% and decrease by 4% compared to the baseline conditions, respectively. Therefore, it will be inevitable to adopt strategies to adapt to this phenomenon to mitigate its negative effects on food security in the region.

The main purpose of this descriptive-analytical study was to identify and explain the barriers to protection of water resources in the Urmia Lake Basin. Participants in this research were key experts and informants in UL Rehabilitation Headquarters, Urmia University, Agriculture-Jihad Organizations, Regional Water Companies, Departments of Environmental Protection and Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Centers in three provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Kurdistan among which 19 people were selected through purposive sampling method for doing the research. Semi-structured interviews (in individual and group form) were used to collect data and the data were analyzed using MAXQDA software. The results of the study showed that barriers to water resources protection in the Urmia Lake Basin were in the form of 28 different signs among which not using the real participation of stakeholders in water resources management (among the signs related to social- cultural barriers), lack of promotion of sustainable and compatible livelihoods with water resources at the basin level (among the signs related to economic barriers), lack of sufficient coherence for decision-making between local, provincial and national levels (among the signs related to organizational- Institutional barriers), the lack of comprehensive water distribution law (among the signs related to legal-administrative barriers) and top-down management of water resources (among the signs related to management barriers) had the highest priorities compared to other signs. Finally, based on the research findings, some strategies were presented to eliminate barriers to the protection of water resources in the Urmia Lake Basin.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the main challenges of seed companies` participation in breeding of vegetable crops and seed production of inland and improved cultivars and the main solutions to solve these challenges. This research is a qualitative research and the grounded theory methodology was used to answer the main research question. The statistical population of this study was all seed companies` members of the Seed Importers Association, consisting of 37 companies in 2020, and 11 representatives were selected using snowball sampling method. The data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. In order to ensure the validity and reliability of the data, in addition to using different methods such as note-taking and voice recording, the extracted codes and concepts were sent to the four of the respondents to review and approve of the data. In this study, in order to analyze the data, the method of continuous comparison analysis was used. Finally, in addition to designing the paradigm model, the identified challenges regarding seed companies` participation in plant breeding and seed production of vegetable crops varieties released by the public sector were categorized into 5 categories, including; Investment and knowledge challenges, the challenge of changing the attitude of producers and reducing their risk power, the challenges of government support, the challenges of marketing and the quality of the released varieties, and the failure of the public sector to create trust and participation of seed companies. Finally, the main suggestion of this study is to formulate strategies to develop joint and complementary cooperation between the public and private sectors and increase trust between the two institutions.

Water-based incidents are natural phenomena that have posed Iran to serious crises. Despite efforts to settle water crises and improve the conditions, we still witness a growing trend of water issues, especially in the agricultural sector in Iran. A necessary step to face water-based incidents and alleviate their implications is to have a deep understanding of resilience dimensions to enhance the tolerance level of the farmers. The present study evaluated farmers’ resilience level in the face of water-based crises in Harsin County. The research, which adopted a descriptive survey methodology, was conducted in 2020. The statistical population was composed of the heads of rural households in four rural districts of the county, amounting to about 6000 people. The sample size was determined to be 361 farmers based on Morgan’s table. The measurement instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and professionals and its reliability was confirmed for all sections as their Cronbach’s alpha was estimated at >0.8. SPSS was used for data analysis and Expert Choice was used for pairwise comparisons. Based on the results of the pairwise comparisons, infrastructural resilience to drought has the highest level of importance in the concept of resilience. According to the results of the study, the resilience level was evaluated to be relatively low in all studied rural districts, and the difference in the level of resilience among the studied villages is significant. Also, farmers with irrigated farming have a higher level of resilience than farmers with rainfed farming.

Recently, water governance has become important due to the increasing complexities associated with water management. So that it is widely acknowledged that the world water crisis is more a crisis of governance than of water scarcity. In recent decades adopting the ‘Water Independence of Provinces’ law has created many social, environmental, economic and managerial crises in the Zayandeh-Rud basin and its two sub-basins (Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari) which have resulted in conflicts between the sub-basin stakeholders. The current applied study was qualitative regarding its methodology and followed a case study approach. The statistical population of the study included managers and senior experts of water governance in two sub-basins (Isfahan and Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari) and finally nine managers and experts in Isfahan sub-basin, four cases in extra-basin level, and six cases in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari sub-basin were selected as the sample population by means of snowball sampling method till theoretical saturation. Data collection was done by structured questionnaire and interview protocol. Using fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), the empirical analysis of water governance systems in two sub-basins showed that a set of factors associated with low performance regarding climate change adaptation. Regarding performance aspect, water governance in Zayandeh-Rud basin and its two sub-basins were Centralized Rent-seeking and Centralized Coordinated, respectively. This means that both basin and sub-basins have low performance regarding climate change adaptation and ability to resilience and adaptation challenges. The reason for the difference in the type of water governance performance at the level of the Zayandeh-Rud basin and its sub-basins was the poor coordination between water related organizations in sub-basins.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perception of the health risk of chemical pesticides and the use of personal protective equipment among farmers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among maize farmers in Ardabil province (N=1507) which was determined by multi-stage sampling and the table of Bartlett et al. (N=306). First, by determining the initial indicators, farmers' perceptions of pesticide health risk were assessed by the composite index (CI) technique. Farmers' groups were then analyzed based on the total composite index. According to the findings, the use of boots was the first priority and goggles the last priority was the use of personal protective equipment. There was a significant correlation between perceptions of health risk and use of personal protective equipment; but the perception of health did not necessarily correspond to the degree of toxicity of pesticides. According to the results of the composite index, 2,4-D herbicide was considered the most dangerous pesticide for farmers. Also, the most important differentiating variables of perception of health risk were mental norm, history of training courses and farm size, respectively. Despite the high perceptual and educational gap on pesticide health risks, special attention to group training methods, ongoing training feedback, involvement of local trustees and skilled farmers, and the use of local media and warning brochures can Improve perceptions of farmers' health risk (especially on a small scale).

The world today is facing the problems of population increase, urbanization, increasing need for food, decreasing water resources and environmental destruction. Urban agriculture, as a part of urban activities, is considered an opportunity to make positive changes in the world's food system and produce high-quality food. Therefore, the current research was conducted with the aim of designing a model of the urban agricultural effect on food security in tehran metropolis. The statistical population of the research consists of all learners participating in the urban agriculture training courses organized by the General Department of Education of the 22 districts of Tehran in 2018 (N = 726). The sample size was determined by using Cochran's formula, 164 people, and stratified random method with proportional assignment (according to the areas where they work among the 22 areas of Tehran municipality) was used for sampling. Data analysis was done using Smart PLS3 software.  According to the calculated indicators, the reliability and validity of the model were confirmed. The results showed that based on the model of the effect of urban agriculture on food security in Tehran city, urban agriculture explains a total of 0.85 of the dependent variable changes in food security. Also, the results of the investigation of the components of the dimensions of urban agriculture and food security indicate that the dimension of urban agriculture is, in order, of economic (β=0.975), environmental (β=0.967), social (β=0.963) and psychomotor functions, respectively. (β=0.851), is affected. that the aforementioned functions are considered to be the explanations of urban agriculture in Tehran Metropolis and have a significant effect on this phenomenon. The components of food security include access (β=0.970), use (β=0.969), sustainability (β=0.952), availability (β=0.939), and safety (β=0.914), which have the greatest effect on food security in order of priority.

The purpose of this study is to present the growth pattern of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Iranian poultry industry. For this purpose, with the qualitative research approach and meta-synthesis tools, which include seven steps, the results and findings of the previous research were systematically evaluated and analyzed. In this study, various databases between 2004 and 2019 were examined. Various keywords were used to search for articles in the research and an attempt was made to select a diverse set of keywords to search for maximum retrieval. As a result of searching in different databases, 862 publications were found, of which only 31 were in the field of SMEs growth and were both in terms of title and content in line with the purpose of the present study. By carefully studying the finalizing sources and in accordance with the objectives and questions of the research, relevant findings were extracted from each of the sources, including components and growth indicators of SMEs in the Iranian poultry industry. In total, the concept of SMEs growth in the Iranian poultry industry were identified and classified in 6 dimensions, 19 components and 47 indicators.

Wheat is one of the most important crops in Sistan region, which in addition to high cultivation area plays a significant role in the economy of this region. Examining the efficiency of this product can play an important role in increasing its production. Therefore, the present study investigates various types of efficiency with risk of production. To achieve these goals, the methods Random Frontier Analysis (SFA) were used. Data and data were collected by completing a questionnaire in 3 Zabol, Zahak and Hirmand cities of 250 wheat cultivators in 2020-2021. The results showed that in Stochastic Frontier analysis with three types of efficiency, Zahak city with 87% and 47% of the highest technical and economic efficiency and Hirmand city with 58% had the most efficient allocation. Also, the results of risk analysis showed that the irrigation inputs in all three cities had negative effects on production risk. The results of economic and allocative efficiency show that farmers' familiarity with the principles and techniques of scientific production and how to properly manage resources and factors of production is not acceptable. Therefore, it is recommended to hold appropriate training and extension courses to familiarize farmers with how to make optimal use of production factors and ultimately improve the technical, allocative and economic efficiency of wheat farmers. Therefore, considering that water input is a reducing - risk input, the use of new irrigation technologies and farming methods is recommended according to the climatic conditions of the region. Government support for producers, monitoring prices and banking facilities, meeting production needs and providing opportunities to improve the wheat market can be key strategies for the success of producers and their appropriate income.

Red meat supply chains are of special importance because they are one of the most important consumable materials in the basket households. This chain can be examined from various aspects; one of the most important of which is the red meat production ring. The main purpose of this study was to analyze the position of traditional livestock keepers in the red meat supply chain (Case study: the southwestern skirt of Zagros). In order to achieve the overall goal of the study, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods were used. In the quantitative phase of the research, using proportional sampling method (multi-stage classes), information was collected from traditional sheep and goat livestock keepers. In the quality phase, using Delphi and SWOT methods, deep and extensive quality information was extracted from red meat supply chain specialists (including livestock experts of Jihad Keshavarzi). The results of the study showed that traditional livestock keepers are in a very critical economic (27.8 out of 100) and social (35.5 out of 100) situation. Finally, among the strategies developed, the highest attractiveness was related to "knowledge-based development and injection of information and technology to increase the quality and productivity of red meat production through useing scientific and modern methods" and the lowest attractiveness was related to "reducing the risk of red meat production through expanding livestock keepers and livestock insurance with appropriate and reasonable support conditions."

Psychological empowerment is one of the interesting topics of human resource management researchers and is one of the important factors for predicting and understanding organizational behavior. This research sought to identify the factors affecting the psychological empowerment of Iranian agricultural extension Specialists and the methodology of qualitative content analysis with conventional content analysis approach. According to necessity, the method of theoretical sampling (interview with managers and Specialists of agricultural extension was 16) and the data were analyzed using MAXQDA12 software. Based on the results of the interviews analysis, A total of 83 initial codes were extracted from the interview, which were formed in four categories including: Individual and personality factors that underlie psychological empowerment (with 5 subcategories), Organizational contexts related to psychological empowerment (with 7 subcategories), Psychological empowerment structures (with 6 subcategories), Environmental factors that underlie psychological empowerment (with 4 subcategories). At the end, there were Suggestions to the psychological empowerment of agricultural extension experts. Results of this study have practical implications for managers, policymakers and human resources planners in the agricultural extension system and academic communities.

The approach of water, food and energy nexus is a comprehensive view of sustainability; and agriculture plays a key role in the use of these resources and food security. Considering that the identification of the indicators of the water, food and energy security nexus in the agricultural sector is the main criterion for checking the status of the deployment of these resources in order to establish security in the agricultural sector. The gap in this field has caused this article to compile and evaluate the indicators of the approach of water, food and energy security nexus in the agricultural sector. To achieve this goal, the method of qualitative content analysis was used, using MAXQDA 18 software and manual analysis. The research sample included 228 articles related to the research topic, which were published in national and international journals during the years 2007-2022. The findings showed; Water, food, and energy security have eight, fourteen, and ten indicators, respectively, which were categorized into four categories: access, availability, usability, and sustainability. According to the findings, we conclude that these indicators include the dimensions of sustainable development, including economic, social and environmental dimensions, and are interdependent. Therefore, these indicators are a comprehensive tool to measure the approach of water, food and energy nexus in the direction of sustainable development.

The aim of this study is to estimate the linkages between the actual guaranteed price of wheat and its yield in Tehran province during 2000-2018 by considering the dummy variables of development programs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This study used the Augmented Dickey-Fuller stationary test, the Johansen Cointegration test, and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) to achieve the aim. The results show that the actual guaranteed price of wheat and its yield are of grade I (1), and based on the Johansen test, the long-run relationship between them is confirmed. The results of the VECM model show that the actual guaranteed price of wheat has a positive and significant effect on wheat yield in Tehran province. By a one percent increase in the actual guaranteed price of wheat, the yield will increase 1.07 percent. Also, the coefficient of vector error correction indicates that if in the short-run occurs a sudden shock to the actual guaranteed price of wheat, it will take about 2 periods to adjust the effect of this shock. Considering that the yield is elastic to the actual price of wheat, suggesting to estimate the guaranteed price of wheat, based on actual price (deflated) in the purchasing policy, can encourage the improvement of wheat yield in the country's agricultural lands.

Chicken meat is an important source of protein supply in the household food basket. Therefore, planning for timely and adequate supply of this food product is very necessary and important. However, building new production capacity is a time-consuming investment that should be undertaken gradually based on the prediction of demand over time. The purpose of this study is to determine the appropriate locations for building new broiler farms to meet the demand for this product in the horizon 1415 with the aim of minimizing transportation costs in the chicken meat production and distribution network. To meet this aim, the new poultry farms have to be located in places where the meat demand in each city can be supplied from the nearest slaughterhouse and the live chicken produced by the poultry farms can be sent to the nearest slaughterhouse, using a transportation mathematical programming framework. Results of this study indicate that, to meet the demand for chicken meat in the horizon of 1415, it is necessary to create a new capacity for growing 113 million one day chicks in the country. Based on the result of this study, to complete the chicken meat production chain and minimize transportation costs in the chain, the new capacities should be distributed over 22 cities in 6 provinces, including, Khuzestan Razavi, Sistan and Baluchestan, Fars, Kerman, Kohkiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, And Hormozgan provinces.  These results provide good guidance for the policy makers and planners in developing new chicken mean production capacities in Iran. Also, the locations specified by this study, as the best places for building new capacities, can be used by financial institutions in financing poultry farms investment in the country. Thus, it is worth considering the results of this study by both policy makers and financial institution.

Water-based incidents are natural phenomena that have posed Iran to serious crises. Despite efforts to settle water crises and improve the conditions, we still witness a growing trend of water issues, especially in the agricultural sector in Iran. A necessary step to face water-based incidents and alleviate their implications is to have a deep understanding of resilience dimensions to enhance the tolerance level of the farmers. The present study evaluated farmers’ resilience level in the face of water-based crises in Harsin County. The research, which adopted a descriptive survey methodology, was conducted in 2020. The statistical population was composed of the heads of rural households in four rural districts of the county, amounting to about 6000 people. The sample size was determined to be 361 farmers based on Morgan’s table. The measurement instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and professionals and its reliability was confirmed for all sections as their Cronbach’s alpha was estimated at >0.8. SPSS was used for data analysis and Expert Choice was used for pairwise comparisons. Based on the results of the pairwise comparisons, infrastructural resilience to drought has the highest level of importance in the concept of resilience. According to the results of the study, the resilience level was evaluated to be relatively low in all studied rural districts, and the difference in the level of resilience among the studied villages is significant. Also, farmers with irrigated farming have a higher level of resilience than farmers with rainfed farming.

Excessive proficiency and the loss of relevance and thematic correlations of a discipline with other disciplines and the peripheral world have removed university disciplines from their main function. In this regard, the country's comprehensive scientific map emphasizes the development of interdisciplinary programs as a major strategy. Interdisciplinary approach, interconnecting different perspectives of different disciplines to integrate theories, concepts, tools, techniques, and achieving cognitive development to survey a complex subject or problem. The purpose of this paper was to study the necessities, achievements, atributies and the principles of using an interdisciplinary approach in curriculum from the perspective of faculty members and interdisciplinary curriculum specialists and the field of agricultural extension and education. Semi-structured interview was conducted using a snowball sampling method with 29 experts in person, face to face, telephone and Correspondence interview to reach the data saturation stage. The data was processed and analyzed by the researcher in a questionnaire, using qualitative and quantitative content analysis method during the open coding process and in two stages of initial and secondary coding. Identification codes and the main categories and concepts were extracted. The findings showed that the most prominent feature of the interdisciplinary approach is the interaction, the communication and the purposeful integration of the disciplines. The most important interdisciplinary necessity was problem-oriented, and the achievements of this approach are multi-dimensional human education with a comprehensive and systemic thinking. In view of the results, it is suggested that both a content-based and skill-oriented curriculum approach be considered as a general principle in the revision of agricultural extension and education curriculum.