Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research
Year:2017 | Volume:48 | Issue:1 |Papers Count:14

Exchange rate is one of the important factors which affect the prices of imported inputs like poultry husbandry inputs prices. This study develops a system of empirical models that analysis the exchange rate and the LOP effects on poultry husbandry inputs prices (maze, soybeans, barley and fish powder). To achieve the aims of study, we used vector autoregressive (VAR) model in seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) framework over the period 1381: m1– 1391m12. Dichey-Fuller unit root test suggested that all of the variables support the presence of unit root but the presence unit roots can be rejected in the first difference model. The results revealed that, in general, real exchange rate only affects the prices of soybeans and fish powder. 1% depreciation of the domestic money raises the prices of soybean and fish powder by 8% and 23% respectively, at the same month. Also, results imply no exchange rate pass-through and invalidity of the LOP. According to the results, preventing from intensive increase in exchange rate and its volatility are very important steps on stability of poultry husbandry subsector’ s input prices.

limited resources of the agricultural sector, the use of appropriate technology for optimal use of scarce resources to ensure food security has become a necessity. So, at the fifth development pla, it is stated that a third country's economic growthbe achieve through productivity growth. To achieve this goal, for the agricultural sector, is depended on the mechanization. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of mechanization on productivity growth of the agricultural sector. So first with Malmquist productivity index, index of total factor productivity of the agricultural sector for the period 1391-1368 reviewed and then, the econometric model estimated and genetic algorithm related factors evaluated. The results showed that GA is a powerful tool for estimating the models. The results of both approaches indicate that the rate of mechanization and credit facilities and education, promoting the agricultural sector has a positive effect on productivity growth. The estimated coefficient for mechanization ratio in ARDL is 0/129 and in Genetic Algorithms 0/098 the long run which shows the variable ineffective on the productivity of the agricultural sector is relatively high. The price index and the degree of openness the variable changes sign from negative to positive in the short term to the long term the need for correct support policies for farmers to compete and adapt to economic conditions, insists.

Achieving the sustainability of resources is one of the main challenges of the whole world, including our country, Iran. According to the importance of Fars province in the agricultural sector, the economic, environmental and social sustainability of Pasargad plains farmers in the region are evaluated using the positive weighting method of principal component analysis and exogenous weighting method of hierarchical analysis methods. So, economic, environmental and social sustainability indicators were estimated according to the two mentioned weighting methods for 150 farmers of the region in 2014-2015. SAFE theoretical framework has been used to choose the sustainability indexes. Comparison of the two sustainability combination indicators of AHP and PCA show that there was a statistically significant difference between indexes of economic and social sustainability in two methods. But in the field of environmental sustainability indicators, there was no statistically significant difference based on AHP and PCA. Overall, there was no statistically significant difference between the two methods based on a combination of sustainability indicators. According to the results, it is suggested to provide extension and education tools and necessary facilities such as giving loans to the farmers in order to use minimum tillage, sprinkle irrigation systems and soil test to manage and improve the quality of soil nutrients.

Livestock industry, one of the most important sub-sectors of agricultural sector, produces the basic foods including milk and meat that must be increase to meet the demand and exporting excess demand. Due to the semi-competitive nature of input and output markets of livestock products, one of the ways to increasing production and profit is increasing the efficiency of production units. The aim of this study is evaluating the technical and environmental efficiencies of dairy farms using Stochastic Frontier Analysis in Sarab County. Required data collected using simple random sampling and completing 51 questionnaires at year 1394. According to the results of Stochastic Frontier Analysis, average technical and environmental efficiencies averaging 95% and 72%, respectively. For comparing the difference between the average technical and environmental efficiency, Kruskal-Wallis test used that the result confirms the significant difference between the average efficiencies. Given the significant differences between the technical and environmental efficiencies, it is suggesting that environmental issues to be considered in the estimation of the efficiency of production units.

The purpose of this study was to analyze effective components on educational transformative in agricultural higher education system. In order to identify effective components on educational transformative, meta-synthesis method was used and 71 components were identified. For analyzing data, factor analysis was used. Target population the study was 358 faculty members in three agricultural colleges including: Tarbiat Modares University, Shiraz and Tehran Universities. 185 faculty members were selected by randomly stratified sampling method and finally 166 questionnaires were collected. The instrument was assessed for face and content validities by a panel of faculty members in agricultural college of Tehran, Tarbiat Modares University and institution of research and planning in higher education. Cronbach’ s Alpha coefficient Value of questionnaire was 0. 91. Results of factor analysis cause in selecting 6 factors. These factors are leadership, educational competence, quality in higher education, education and teaching, context and strategies. This factors could explain about 52 percent of the variations of effective components on educational transformative.

Career choice is one of the most important decisions a person makes in his life. In addition, stimulating and motivating the people is one of the important and basic conditions to achieve the purpose in doing whatever. Therefore, this study has been done with the aim of investigating the mediation role of individual and environmental factors on agricultural student’ s career aspirations. The study population was consisted of all last year student in agriculture faculty of Zanjan University (in year 92-93), that a sample 200 student is selected by using random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by SPSS20 and AMOS20 softwares. The result of direct structural model regarding to test four main hypotheses revealed that there is a significant relationship between background factors including experience of working in the village, family income and residence place with desire to work in rural areas. Also, personal factors (academic self-esteem) and environmental factors (supportive family environment) has a mediating effect on the relationship between the background factors and desire to work in rural areas. While, total indirect effect of background factor of work experience in rural areas through individual and environmental factors was not significant.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the consistence of rural development laws and regulations in five years development plans. Content analysis was applied in this study. Descriptive analysis of rural development plans showed that these phrase frequencies were 6, 13, 8, 15, and 8 in the first to the fifth development plans respectively. The frequencies of referring to social dimension of rural development were 6, 7, 10, 12 and 9 in these five years development plans, respectively. The frequencies of attention to environmental dimension of rural development were 2, 1, 5, 3 and 1 respectively. Furthermore, these frequencies for economic dimensions were 9, 19, 14, 14 and 10 in these plans, respectively. Laws and regulations related to rural development had an ascending trend from first to fifth plans but declined in the fifth one which is may be because of shift in government approaches. Furthermore, it should be noted that the extent of attention to environmental dimension of rural development was less than social and economic dimensions.

Destruction Dimensions of environment has reached so much that modern human without change in their thinking and behavior cannot be able to find a solution for the environmental problems. Rural behavior in dealing with the resource base has an important role in protecting the environment. The main purpose of this study is logic analysis of the Dimensions of Innovation and Attitude Effects on the Environmental Behavior of Ardabil Province Rural in Relation to Conservation Technology, in 2012. The statistical population of this study consisted of 109679 households in Ardabil province. Appling Cochran formula, a sample consisted of 250 households were surveyed. The main instrument of this descriptive research was questionnaire. Face validity of questionnaire was approved by faculty members of University of Tehran agricultural extension and education department, and reliability of which was approved by Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and composite reliability. Data were analyzed by SPSS win18 software. Results of the logic analysis showed that most of rural were lower-middle-environmental behavior. Among the dimensions of innovation including: "compatibility, observability, trialability, relative advantage and complexity" and environmental attitudes, compatibility, observability, complexity and environmental attitudes had effects on behavior rural environmental, respectively.

At present, unemployed agricultural graduates and their mismatch course content to the needs of the labor market is much more serious than other academic disciplines. The best alternative to resolve this problem is training of skilled, efficient and creative people and preparing students of higher agricultural education system or employment in the labor market through entrepreneurship education and strategic changes in patterns of academic education and research and establish entrepreneur colleges of agriculture. In this regard, one of the priorities is improving “ structural-organizational” components at colleges of agriculture toward being entrepreneur. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of structural-organizational dimensions on entrepreneurship at colleges of agriculture which was done in quantitative approach by using a descriptive-correlation method and a survey technique. Statistical population of this research consisted of agricultural students at branches in region 5 of Islamic Azad University, Iran (N=2896). As a sample, by using Bartlett Table, 341 students whom were chosen via stratified random sampling method. The research tool included a questionnaire that which its validity was confirmed by a group of professionals and its reliability through Cronbach's alpha test for different parts of the questionnaire was confirmed from 0. 76 to 0. 91. Findings revealed that there are a significant and direct relationship between entrepreneurship in colleges of agriculture and all dimensions of structural-organizational components including type of organizational structure, system of organizational communication, being entrepreneur of the salaries and bonuses system and innovation in educational and research affairs. Also, based on the results of structural equation modeling by using LISREL software, structural organizational component as an efficient factor can prognosticate entrepreneurship at colleges of agriculture. At the end, according to the results some recommendations have been presented.

Historically, affordable machinery, which increased capability and standard of production and improved productivity, are key elements of agricultural mechanization. Transplanter machines in rice cultivation play such key role. The purpose of current descriptive-survey research was identifying and analyzing advantages and barriers to use of transplanter machine in rice fields of Sari County. Statistical population consist of all agricultural experts and agents (N=180) and rice cultivators (N=5560) in Sari County. By using Cochran formula, 90 experts and 160 farmers selected as samples. Stratified sampling method with appropriate allocation within 2 sub-district and 14 villages was used to select farmers. The results showed that the two groups of respondents have consensus on advantages of the machine and emphasized on farmer healthy, reduced labor cost and saved time. In the case of barriers, the results indicated that farmer highlighted economical barriers and expert emphasized on technical and educational barriers. The results of factor analysis for barriers revealed that the “ technical-supportive barriers” , “ economical barriers” , “ extension-education barriers” and “ socio-cultural barriers” explained 63. 42% variance related to barriers of using transplanter machine.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of intellectual capital on innovative behaviors of Jihad-Agriculture Organization personnel, Kermanshah. The research has used an applied methodology in terms of aim, a descriptive correlation in terms of method and a surveying method in terms of data gathering style. Statistical population included all Jihad-Agriculture personnel in Kermanshah Province who were working in this organization in 2014. A number of 170 statistical samples were selected randomly based on Krejcie and Morgan's sampling size table. The assessment tool was a standardized questionnaire which reliability and validity of its questions were verified. The results showed a positive relationship between intellectual capital and innovative behaviors of the target personnel. The results also revealed a positive relationship between the three components of intellectual capital consist of human capital, structural capital, and relational capital with innovative behaviors of the personnel. The relational capital component showed the most impact on improving the innovative behaviors among the personnel. About the impact of intellectual capital on innovative behaviors of the target personnel, the multiple correlation coefficient (R) was 0. 680 and the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0. 453. This means that 45 percent of dependent variable variations can determine by independent variables and the rest variations have not been found by factors studied in this research.

Climate change would affect agriculture and food supply. Therefore, adaptation strategies are necessary to minimize the impacts of climate change. Since farmers are the most vulnerable group toward climate change, they have the task of adapting to climate change. Therefore, identifying the effective factors on adaptation behaviors of farmers is of great importance. The aim of this study is to determinate the psychological factors influencing on farmers’ adaptation behaviors. A sample of 350 farmers was selected by simple random sampling method Bavi Township in Khuzestan province. The results showed that the psychological distance toward climate change, social trust, risk salience, risk perception, knowledge about causes, impacts and adaptation directly affected the adaptation behaviors of farmers to dealing with climate change. Also, the variables of risk salience, knowledge about adaptation, psychological distance, self-efficacy and knowledge about impacts of climate change could predict 48 percent of variations in farmers’ adaptation behaviors with climate change. Thus, it is important to understand the role of the different factors that influence farmers’ adaptation to ensure the development of appropriate policy measures and the design of successful development projects.

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the rural women's participation in animal husbandry activities. The statistical population consisted of all rural families (N=6571) in Charuymaq County, in which 135 were selected through a multistage randomised sampling method based on Cochran sampling formula. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by a panel of experts in related fields and to check its reliability, the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was computed which were larger than 0. 7 for different parts. The results showed that the participation level of rural women was low and animal product processing, gathering eggs, feeding and watering the birds were ranked 1st to 3rd in terms of their participation type. Correlation analysis showed that rural women's’ participation had a significant negative correlation with variables e. g men number in family, women's’ education, education of their wife, but a significant positive correlation with variables e. g number of visits to town and the extent of wifes’ consultation. Multiple regression analysis revealed that four variables of men number in family, women's education, the number of visits to town and the extent of wife's’ consultation were explained 29. 6 percent of rural women's participation level.

The purpose of this study was to investigate information seeking behavior of grape producers in Zanjan Province and the effective factors. The research was descriptive-correlation and survey method was used. The statistical population consisted of grape producers in the 2014 cropping seasons (N =32871). By using Krejcie and Morgan's (1970) Tale, 379 grape producers were selected as sample (n =379). Samples were selected through stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by using questionnaire, which was validated by a panel of agricultural extension and education and horticulture experts in Tarbiat Modares and Zanjan Universities and its reliability was gained through a pilot test with Cronbach's alpha coefficient between 0. 73 and 0. 86. Data were analyzed by using SPSS statistical software. The results of the research showed that there was a significant correlation between agriculture’ s age, household size, grape producing experience, agricultural experience, participation in educational and extension programs, grapes garden area, aqueous grape garden area, dry grapes garden area, agricultural service center distance from the garden, the garden distance from the city, grapes producing annual revenues, the number of grape varieties produced and the amount of information needs with information seeking behavior. The findings of regression analysis revealed that the amount of the information needs, family size, grapes production annual income, area gardens of grapes and number of grape production varieties explained 29. 3 percent of the variation in information seeking behavior.