International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development
Volume:5 Issue: 1, Mar 2015

The increasing cost of peanut production is a major concern in Iran. Therefore, developing the mechanization of peanut production is a necessity. In this regard, a three-phase Delphi study was conducted to identify the promoting and deterring factors affecting peanut cultivation mechanization in Guilan Province, the main peanut-producing region in Iran. After preliminary studies, 26 experts were selected as respondents for the study. Based on the final results, ‘allocating provincial and national funds to develop mechanization’ (with the agreement of 98.07% of respondents), ‘Organizing training programs to increase farmers’ technical knowledge’ (97.12%), and ‘conducting the pilot and model projects’(95.19%) were found to be the most important promoting factors in developing peanut cultivation mechanization in north of Iran. Moreover, ‘the small size and fragmentation of peanut farms’ (with 96.15% of respondents agreeing), ‘problems with the national and provincial programs of peanut mechanization’ (95.19%), and ‘low technical knowledge of farmers and craftsmen about peanut farming mechanization’ (94.23%) were identified as the most important deterring factors in developing peanut cultivation mechanization in north of Iran. Given the small area dedicated to peanut cultivation and the low income levels of peanut farmers in north of Iran, it seems that provincial and national funding allocation and peer-planned programming to import appropriate farm machinery are the most urgent plans to improve the status of mechanization of peanut cultivation in north of Iran.

This study was conducted to seek the opinion of walnut producers on barriers affecting the success of producers to found production cooperatives regarding horticultural products in Tuyserkan Township, Iran. A sample of 234 walnut producers were randomly selected through multistage cluster sampling technique. Descriptive- correlation research method was used in this study which has been implemented through the questionnaire. For determining the validity of questionnaire, the face and content validity was used. Reliability for the instrument was estimated at 0.94. According to factor analysis, barriers to found and develop walnut production cooperatives were categorized into seven groups that explained 65.799% of the total variance of the research variables. The results also indicated that lack of cultural infrastructures, inadequate knowledge and incorrect opinions of producers and leaders, inadequate laws and vulnerability and infrastructural barriers had the most effect to found and develop walnut production cooperatives, respectively.

The purpose of this descriptive-correlation study was to investigate effective factors on rural people’s non-participation of Mahabad’s dam catchment in Watershed Management Projects. The research instrument was structural questionnaire with close-ended questions, which its validity confirmed by panel of academic staff and reliability of questionnaire was confirmed. The target population of this study consisted of all householders who lived in Mahabad’s dam catchment (N=2458) out of them, according to Cochran's formula 175 people were selected by using cluster sampling in a simple randomization method (n=175). The descriptive results showed lack of financial ability for participating in watershed management, lack of awareness about watershed management efficiency, the longterm rate of return on the investment attracted in watershed management were the main variables related to rural people’s non participation in watershed management. By applying Factor Analysis Explanatory Technique, effective factors on rural people’s non-participation in watershed management were reduced to five factors namely weakness of agricultural extension services, getting watershed management out of governmental control, no achieving success to implement another rural projects by government, and no considering local individuals or organization by government. These five factors expressed 84% of the total variance of the non-participation people on Mahabad’s dam catchment in watershed management projects. Therefore points to these factors could solve the barriers of non-participation people on Mahabad’s dam catchment in watershed management projects.

The purpose of this study was designing predictive model for innovation management in processing and complementary industries of livestock products. The method of research was correlative descriptive. The population of this research was managers in processing and complementary industries of livestock products of Khouzestan Province (N=486). By stratified random sampling, a random sample (n=125) was selected for participation in the study. A questionnaire was developed to gather data 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 innovation management level in processing and complementary industries of Khuzestan province is not desirable. Therefore, practitioners should be required to provide increasing levels of innovation management. Results showed that variables such as income, competitiveness, accountability, risk taking, tend to be creative, level of education and attitude to innovation management played a critical role in improving innovation management.

This study concerns determining the factors that may influence the communication skill of those university teachers involved in the field of agricultural sciences in Iran. Accordingly, based on a cross-sectional survey method, a conceptual model of communication skill has been devised through reviewing the related literature. Next, the model was revised by the expert panel of the study into a seven-factor model with 58 variables. Then, this revised model was transformed into a questionnaire. Once the expert panel studied, revised and at last confirmed the questionnaire, it was submitted to the subjects, around 234 university teachers of agricultural sciences selected randomly from some main universities in Iran. In order to run Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA), the obtained data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16.00). Consequently, EFA explained three factors such as naturalness, eloquentness and emotionalness as the main effective ones on teaching agriculture in the universities of Iran. Finally, it is worth mentioning that naturalness comprised six variables, eloquentness was consisted of eight variables and emotionalness concerned three variables.

The academic achievement of students has been a focus of social research for decades. Yet little attention has been paid to social capital and its importance as a university context factor for academic success. We examine whether social capital has effects on students’ academic achievement. The population of this study consisted of all senior agricultural students of Razi University at Iran (N=257), that 154 of them were selected as the sample using the proportionate stratified sampling method. The main instrument in this study was a questionnaire which its validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was established by Cronbach's Alpha coefficient (α>0.70). Data was analyzed by SPSSWin22 and LISREL 8.80 software in two phases of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that social capital was the main predictor of agricultural students’ academic achievement. Findings of this study can have practical implications concerning agricultural students’ academic achievement for higher agricultural education mangers, planners and educators.

In this research, the energy flow and production energy indices of canola cultivation in Trakya province of Turkey, Golestan and Mazandaran provinces of Iran were compared. Diesel fuel and chemical fertilizer inputs were the highest consumer of energy in the production of canola in these three regions. The results indicated that despite the higher energy use of machinery in Trakya province of Turkey, the energy use of diesel fuel in this province is less than the energy consumed in the two northern provinces of Iran, which could be due to available old machines for the production of canola in Mazandaran and Golestan provinces. Total greenhouse gas emissions of canola production for these regions were computed 562.85, 652.86 and 887.30 kgCO2eq ha-1, respectively. The inputs of chemical fertilizer and diesel fuel in canola production produced the highest percentage of gas emissions in these three areas. Energy consumption for potential feedstock production for one kg production of biodiesel fuel in these provinces was calculated as 14.76, 20.66 and 37.77 MJ, respectively. The amounts of greenhouse gas emissions for potential feedstock production for one kg production of biodiesel were obtained 0.45, 0.76 and 1.17 kgCO2eq for Trakya, Golestan and Mazandaran provinces, respectively.

Due to agriculture is a risky activity and risk models is important in order to analyze the behavior of farmers, hence, in this study, the factors affecting risk-taking and risk aversion is the region grape growers. Data analysis was performed by using stochastic frontier. Data gathered by questionnaires at three counties of Zabol, Hirmand and Zahak at 265 grape farmers in crop year of 2011-2012. The results showed that the cultivated area respectively for the county of Zabol and Zahak risk–reducing and risk-increases, labor Rental at Zabol county risks - reducing and animal manure for the county of Hirmand and Zahak was risk - Reducing respectively. Therefore, the positive and significant labor input on risk factor is production as a result of seasonality, It is suggested that the focus on seasonal labor and employment Rental through agencies or through the representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affair.