Journal of Agricultural Economics & Development
Year:2008 | Volume:22 | Issue:1|Papers Count:15

Appropriate method for selecting irrigation technology involves a process that incorporates physical, technical, economic, social, cultural and legal factors into the applied criteria. This study utilized a set of 21 criterion to evaluate the performance of 10 different irrigation technologies to achieve 8 objectives in a multicriterion decision-making (MCDM) framework known as compromise programming (CP). The results indicated that farmers and CP selections coincide completely in a homogenous group, but the irrigation technology selected by representative farms is different from the results of compromise programming in other homogenous groups. At last, some suggestions are proposed regarding improvement of decision making process.

In this study the The demand for food in Urban regions in Iran is estimated within a system framework. in the static and dynamic version based on the time series data for 1974-2005 in Iran. The results of various specification and misspecification tests suggest that the static version performs poorly as compared with the dynamic version. The results of seperability structure rejected hypothesis related to which first, consumers allocate their income among different food groups and then within subgroup of meat. The compensated and un-compensated own-price elasticities are negative and the income elasticities are positive.

The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of trade liberalization on the Iranian labor productivity in agricultural sector. The agricultural exports and total imports tariff rate are used as two trade liberalization policies. In addition to physical capital and labor inputs, the human capital is also used in a neoclassical model. A time series data, from 1963 to 2003, and the OLS method and an error correction model (ECM) are applied to estimate the long- run and short- run relationship between trade liberalization policies and the productivity. The estimated results show that increasing agricultural exports and reducing import tariff rate have positive effect on the labor productivity in agricultural sector both in the short- run and long- run. Even though the effect of human capital on the productivity is positive but it is only statistically significant in the short- run. In the long run, as a result of 10 percent increase of export per labor, or decrease of import tariff rate, the level of labor productivity rises by 0.5 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. Since the effect of reducing tariff rate is higher than the effect of increasing export per labor, the policymakers should change their policies towards adjusting the tariff rates.   

The aim of present investigation was to assess the sugar beet growers’ knowledge, attitudes and skills (KAS) regarding sustainable practices of on-farm soil management, as well as to analyze the factors that influence their KAS by the stepwise regression method. The methodological approach in the research was a descriptive-analytical study of the survey type. The target population in the study was the sugar beet farmers of Khorasan-e-Razavi Province. Using multi-stage cluster sampling technique, 395 farmers were selected as a statistical sample. Finally, 375 questionnaires were collected and analyzed (n=375). The content and face validity of the questionnaire was specified after several times of review and correction by the Faculty members of the University and several experts of the executive offices. The reliability analysis was conducted through 30 questionnaires and Cronbach’s Alpha values for the different sections of instrument were estimated to be between 0.71 and 0.87 using statistical SPSS software. The results of descriptive findings showed that KAS more 50% of studied sugar beet growers regarding on-farm soil management practices were at moderate-lower level. Considering Venn diagram in relation to the triple domains of studied sugar beet farmers’ behavior showed that about 11.2% (42 sugar beet growers) were identified as qualified farmers. Moreover, the stepwise multivariate regression analysis was used to determine and predict the most important effective variables on KAS of sugar beet growers regarding sustainable practices of on-farm soil management. In the end, based on the findings are provided recommendations.

Farm machinery and labor are two important and costly production factors in production of farm crops. The aim of this study was comparison of different systems of wheat production with regarding to machinery technology level, farm machinery and labor productivity in plane region of central division of Mashhad. Sampling was done by three stage cluster method. Research data were collected by questionaire and direct interview with 169 farmers at year 2004-2005. Production systems were divided into three groups by special definition for each system and then the mechanization index was calculated for each group. Analysis of variance indicated that mean difference of mechanization index was significant at 1% probability level among three systems. A Cobb-Douglas form of production function were estimated for each Three systems. In order to calculate machinery and labor productivity, Dhawan & Banzal method was applied. Analysis of variance and mean comparison related to farm machinery and labor productivity of three systems indicated that mean difference among three systems is significant at 1% probability level. Mean comparison indicated more machinery & labor productivity in mechanized system & less machinery productivity and labor productivity for semi mechanized & semi traditional systems respectively. Results indicated that mechanization can increase the farm machinery and labor productivity.

This paper has surveyed farmers’ attitudes toward soil conservation protection policies through three important protection components financing, green subsidy and government intervention in Razavi Khorasan province in 2006 by using the descriptive statistics. Results of this study showed that farmers have incentive for soil conservation but their financing ability for soil conservation is low. Also, they agree with green subsidy payment in subsidized credit form and believe to government intervention through technical- information (extensional) and credit helps for soil conservation. With respect to results, pay attention of agricultural bank for payment of soil conservation credit, green subsidy payment, applying green subsidy project in a specific place and government targeting intervention as suggestion has introduced.

In this study, by using time-series data of 1974-99 and “adjusted average productivity method”, the labor productivity of Iranian agricultural sector was calculated. Results showed that the labor productivity trend in this sector is up warding. And also: factors affecting on labor productivity werw determined by estimating function, effect of net agricultural investment, net total investment, net agricultural export, net total export, rain fall, rural income and trend was investigated. Results indicated that some variables were I (0) and some of them were I (1). Then, to avoid Spurious regression, the function was estimated by using Johanson test. According to this regression, the coefficients of all variables except total investment, were significant had positive effect on labor productivity.

An important subject in introduction of sprinkler and drip irrigation technology is choicing system based on agricultural condition in the region. The main object of this study is choicing and ranking of sprinkler and traditional systems of irrigation in Khorasan Razavi province farms. Necessary information obtained from collecting 186 questionaries from farmers of two regions of Khorasan Razavi province: Mashad and Sabzewar, in 1386. For this purpose, compromise and TOPSIS programming methods were used. The results of four grups of farmers and farms showed that in two groups of farmers, the best irrigation system is sprinkler irrigation (fixed and move classic) and in other groups, best irrigation system is traditional irrigation. The results of this study also showed that liniear and centerpivot of sprinkler irrigation are the worse irrigation systems in the region.

This paper reports on an analysis of relationship between farm size and Technology Gap Ratio (TGR) in wheat farms in Kerman. In this study, a random sample of 658 farmers was selected in 2005. Samples collected from wheat farms are divided into three sizes; small, medium and large. The technical efficiency and TGR indices were computed using three approaches; pooled frontier stochastic production functions, group frontier stochastic production and the metafrontier approach. Results indicate that the technical efficiencies based on the three above approaches are respectively about 64%, 79% and 61% for small farms, about 62%, 72% and 42% for medium farms and about 61% 83% and 35% for large farms. TGRs at the small, medium and large farms 0.78, 0.57 and 0.42 are respectively that indicate the existence of a technology gap for different sizes.

In this study the convergence of growth total factor productivity (TFP) for wheat across big provinces (Khorasan, Tehran, Fars, Kerman, Khozestan, Esfahan) was studied during 1988-2004. Tornqvist–Theil index for determination of total factor productivity, standard deviation for s-convergence and different panel unit root test were used for short run and long run convergence. Base on  s-convergence there is not evidence to support convergence to a single TFP level, but result indicate a long run convergence based on the result obtained from panel unit root test, so difference among studied provinces in the field of the growth of TFP will decrease, therefore the same policy can used for wheat in long run.

International trade is one of the important subjects in economic development, It can provide export incomes for investment and attract new technology to increase the productive potency in country, Some problems about export of agricultural productions include: the lack of suitable packaging, unsuitable grading of export product, inattention to qualitative standards of agricultural products and incoherence between goods and the tastes of foreign consumer, Therefore, import countries earn value added of marketing services, In this study the export function of some export products of Iran like pistachio, almond, saffron, date and apple has estimated with panel data method, The data gathered for 1379 to 1384 and the sections are the countries that import these products from Iran, Results showed consideration of export standards have positive and significant effect on export, So more attention to international standard for agricultural products and improvement of their quality can attract the markets and increase export incomes.

This study was performed to determine limitation issues concerning virtual water. For this purpose, the optimum pattern was investigated first based on land and water constraints. Then, we adjusted the model by forcing it to take into account new constraints such as the current level of employment and improving employment. The results indicated that relying on maximizing virtual water we to determine a pattern is expected to bring negative effect on employment, and so, retaining the current level of employment should be consider besides maximizing import water to adjust such negative outcomes. In general, imposing the model to optimize a single objective such as maximizing imports of virtual water, minimizing fertilizer and water consumptions lead to patterns that are optimum just with regard to the specified objective but not really for all basic goals in the region. Therefore, despite the importance of models used in determining cultivation pattern based on virtual water, we need to consider the possible unwanted outcomes of such models.