INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT (IJAMAD)
Year:2017 | Volume:7 | Issue:4|Papers Count:13

Although agriculture has a major role in economy, in general, and employment opportunities for unemployed population, in particular, limited ability of individuals to recognize entrepreneurialopportunities in agriculture has reduced the share ofagriculture in employment. Therefore, the enhancement of opportunityrecognition skills among individuals in the agriculturesector is believed to solve unemployment challenges. Socialcapital is a rich source of information that permits the individualsto identify different combinations of the means-ends in thecreation of new products or services for a particular market. Thus, this study sought to explore the role of social capitalcomponents in agricultural entrepreneurial opportunity recognitionin Kermanshah province. The statistical population of this studyconsisted of all agricultural entrepreneurs in Kermanshahprovince (N=136), 102 of them were selected as the sample ofthe study based on Krejcie and Morgan’ s sampling table andthe use of a proportional stratified sampling method. The maininstrument in this study was a questionnaire whose validity wasconfirmed by a panel of experts; its average variance wasextracted, and its discriminant validity and reliability coefficientwas established by using a Cronbach's alpha as well as thecomposite reliability index. Data were analyzed by SPSSV23and Smart PLS3 softwares. The result of the Structural EquationModeling (SEM) revealed that the social capital components(strong ties and weak ties) were the main predictors of opportunityrecognition among agricultural entrepreneurs in Kermanshahprovince. Findings of this study carry important implicationsfor agricultural policy makers and educators aiming to fostergreater inclusion and cohesion, and to increase transparencyand accountability, in order to develop the recognition and exploitationof entrepreneurial opportunities in the process ofpromoting agricultural entrepreneurship.

Since some raw materials, semi manufactured, intermediateand capital goods in agricultural sector are imported, theexchange rate fluctuations can affect the cost price of productsin this sector. Recently, we are facing considerable fluctuationsin exchange rate that has an important impact on all sectors includingthe agriculture. As a result of an increase in importprices in agricultural raw materials, the exchange rate fluctuates. In other words, this relationship is strengthened by lowerdomestic supply due to the stimulation of the exports of agriculturalproducts induced by an increase in exchange rate. Thepresent study deals with the impact of exchange rate fluctuationson agricultural price index in Iran using MGARCH method. The results show that the past shocks of exchange rate have apositive impact on agriculture price index at the 1% significancelevel. Moreover, despite the fact that the current fluctuationsof agriculture price index do not relate to its past fluctuations, the past fluctuations of exchange rate have a positive impacton current fluctuations of exchange rate.

The research examined effect of climate variability on yieldof the two dominant cool weather cereals (wheat andbarley) in central highland and Arssi grain plough farmingsystems of Ethiopia using eight round unbalanced panel data(1994-2014). The stochastic frontier model result revealed thatproduction inputs for producing wheat and barley in the twofarming system had significant effect. Crop season rainfall incrementhad negative and significant effect on technicalefficiency of smallholders to produce wheat as to the modelresult. Technical efficiency of two crops responded differentlyfor cropping season rainfall variability, in which wheat hadnegative and significant interaction with it while barley hadpositive. Given this, cropping season temperature had significantand positive effect on technical efficiency of both wheat andbarley. Having this into account, yield of the two cropsresponded similarly for changes in production inputs likeworking capital, human labor and fertilizer. In general, rainfallinconsistency at the different stages of the production periodhad strong effect on yield of the two crops. Given this, thestudy forwarded an assignment to plant scientists in order tohave further investigation on how the two crops responded differentlyto temperature variability.

Rice plays an especial role in Iranian households' nutritionbasket. The volatilities of its price during recent yearscaused consumers' dissatisfaction. This paper investigatesspillover effects of price volatilities (at the wholesale andretail levels) in the Guilan Province rice market. The GeneralizedAutoregressive Conditional Hetroscedasitic (GARCH) modelwas used for the monthly time period of 1999 to 2013. As theresults of the unit root tests showed, the monthly time series ofSadri-Momtaz variety wholesale price and Sadri-Momtazvariety retail price have unit roots in zero frequency or theyare I(1). Considering the amounts of trace and maximum eigenvalues statistics, there is a long-run relationship between Sadri-Momtaz variety wholesale and retail monthly price time series. Coefficients of normalized cointegration vector showedthat, with one percent increase (decrease) in retail price, it would be likely that wholesale price could increase (decrease)by 0. 99 percent. Results of GRACH model revealedthat spillover effects exist from the retail price to the wholesaleprice and vice versa. In addition, price volatility in retail andwholesale levels had positive and significant effects on its ownlevel price volatility. Accordingly, providing proper policypackages in both supply and demand sides were advised.

In this study, musculoskeletal disorders, energy consumptionand input costs of paddy labors have been studied incultivation, crop protection, and harvesting rice in NorthernIran, Guilan province. The sample size of the study consistedof 74 paddy workers of the study region. The data werecollected through Nordic questionnaire and semi-structuredinterviews. The results indicated that the labor input energy ofcultivation, crop protection, and harvesting were 674. 6, 356. 8and 205. 9 MJha-1, respectively. The total labor input costswere determined to be 22, 860, 000 IRRs ha-1. Lower back, back and knees were the most common areas where paddyworkers were feeling pain. There were significant differencesamong the age, working hours and working years of healthyand relatively healthy poor paddy workers (p<0. 01). One-fifthof the selected farmers self-reported that their health was at avery poor level. Overall, considering the relatively high costsand the different types of common musculoskeletal disordersrelated to rice cultivation in this province and also the sideeffects of using the painkillers in the working season, it is recommendedto invest and accelerate the process of mechanizationof rice farming in Guilan Province of Iran.

Crop insurance is a risk management tool with the potentialof dealing with risk more efficiently. This study uses a dichotomouscontingent valuation method to elicit the willingnessto pay for crop insurance among cereal farmers in the Easternregion of Ghana. The study employed descriptive statisticaltechniques to analyze primary data obtained from 208 sampledfarmers in the region. Approximately, 52. 9% of the farmersexpressed interest in crop insurance. A Heckman two stageapproach was employed to estimate the factors influencing theWTP for crop insurance. The results revealed that farmerswere willing to pay approximately $18. 36 per cropping season. The demand for insurance was found to be negatively correlatedwith the premium amounts suggesting that it is a normal good. The Probit model revealed that marital status and awareness ofcrop insurance had a positive correlation with the willingnessto purchase insurance. The coefficient for education waspositive and statistically significant at the 5% significancelevel in relation to farmers’ WTP. Borrowing and savingswere, however, found to be negative and significant at the 1%and 10% levels respectively in relation to WTP. Farmers’ WTPamount estimated with the interval regression model wasshown to be influenced by key variables such as age, croptype, farm size, farm experience, income, weather variation, savings and access to extension agents. Innovative insuranceproducts and the appropriate distribution channels are alsorecommended to incite demand for crop insurance.

Since a lot of material and human expenditure are spent forimplementing extension education programs for rural people, one of the most important aspects of these programs is “ effectivenessevaluation” and the rate of accomplishing program objectives, as well as determining program obstacles and solvingthem for future plans. The purpose of this study was to evaluatethe effectiveness of rural extension education programs regardingsheep breeding. To achieve this purpose, the first phase of thepresent study analyzed effectiveness evaluation models usingdocumentary studies. Then, an Effectiveness Evaluation of ExtensionEducation Programs (EEEEP) model was designed andaccomplished in the form of evaluating a rural educationprogram. The second phase used an experimental researchmethod in one-group pretest-posttest design. A purposefulsampling method was used for selecting research sample (n=32)from sheep breeders in Pasargad Township, Fars Province, Iran. The data gathering instrument was a questionnaire whosevalidity and reliability were confirmed with the Lincoln andGuba assessment method. The results revealed that participants’ satisfaction with the programs was higher than average in threedimensions. Also, these courses had a significant influence onthe attitude and knowledge of the participants about the educatedsubjects. The participants’ main problem was the difficulty ofattending the class. Finally, based on the findings, some executiverecommendations have been provided.

In order to calibrate and validate the PILOTE model for ricein a humid climate, this study was carried in a randomizedcomplete block design with three replications on a popularlocal variety, Hashemi, during 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006 and2007 crop seasons. This research was done at the Rice ResearchInstitute of Rasht, Iran. Evaluation of simulated and measuredgrain yield and dry matter values was done using Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (EF), Root Mean Square Errors (RMSE)and normalized root mean square errors (NRMSE) indices. The results revealed that RMSE for validation and calibrationwere 0. 69 and 0. 72 Mgha-1, respectively. NRMSE for calibrationwas 9. 5 % and for validation was 14. 1 %. NRMSE for grainyield and dry matter were 8. 74 and 13. 37 %, respectively. EFvalues were between 0. 84 and 0. 98. The results showed thatthe PILOTE model can be used to manage properly riceirrigation in different regimes. Scenario analysis showed thatthe best irrigation regime was intermittent irrigation with 8-day interval.

The present study aims to investigate income distribution inZanjan Province, for which the statistics of cost-income ofthe households in rural areas of Abhar County were used. Theywere available in the Statistical Center of Iran. In order tomeasure income distribution, the indicators of Lorenz curve, theGini coefficient, the proportion of high-income groups to lowincomegroups, as well as the comparison of decades andquintiles are described below. The results indicated that 20% ofthe richest households in the rural community of Abhar Countyhad more than half of the revenue, and four poor decades hadless than 10% of revenue. The richest farmer docile had anincome about 28 times as high as the poorest decade, and therichest non-farmer docile had an income about 74 times as highas the poorest non-farmer docile. The results of the Ginicoefficient of the two occupational groups suggested that theGini coefficient of people working in the agricultural sector wasequal to 0. 55, and that it was 0. 56 for non-agricultural workersby comparison. The results of correlation analysis indicated anegative relationship between the age of household’ s head andtheir annual income. Moreover education level of household’ shead had a positive relationship with their annual income. In addition, there was no significant difference among annual incomesof households heads with different occupational groups.

This study investigated the mechanisms of seed potato managementby potato growers of Freydunshahr County in Isfahanprovince. Survey research method was used in thisstudy. A sample of 250 potato growers (N=725) was selectedfor data collection. Stratified random sampling method wasused. The research instrument was a questionnaire that wasvalidated for face validity by a panel of faculty members andagricultural experts of Agriculture Jihad Organization in FreydunshahrCounty. For determining the reliability, Cronbach'salpha was estimated which turned to be higher than 0. 7. Resultsshowed that "a part of tubers produced by farmers" was thefirst priority of farmers as seed tuber source. Results showedthat 89. 6 percent of potato growers store and keep seed tubersin inappropriate conditions. Majority of the farmers did nothave sufficient information on seed potato management andthere was a positive and significant relationship between thefarmers’ education and potato yield per hectare, but a negativerelationship was found for age. Based on logistic regressionanalysis, the predictive power of the model was 0. 639 and thesensitivity of total model to determine the correct percentagewas 86. 0 percent. Among individual, professional and economicfactors, variables of age, number of family labor, area ofowned land, area of potato farming, potato yield per hectare, number of owned land parcels and knowledge and informationlevel of respondents significantly impacted on the adoptionand use of modern seed potato production systems.

Professional development is a continuous process of individualand experimental tests that must empower individualeducators to make complex decisions; to identify and to solveproblems; to connect theory and practice in learners’ output; and to enable educators to offer learning opportunities tostudents and prepare them in terms of provided world classstandards and citizen responsibilities of adults inspired by theseassumptions, the present study aimed to identify factors affectingthe professional development of its faculty members. Thestatistical sample consisted of 209 individuals all of whom werefaculty members of the Islamic Azad University, Ilam Branch, Iran that were studied by a census method. The survey instrumentwas a research-made questionnaire whose content and facevalidity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliabilitycoefficient turned out to be at a desirable level. SPSS21 softwareand factor analysis technique were employed to analyze the collecteddata. The results of the factor analysis showed that fourdevelopment services such as structural-service maturity, institutionaldirectorial maturity, personal and character maturityand network-social maturity were identified as factors affectingthe professional development of faculty members which explained50. 89% of the total variance altogether.

Countries need short, medium, and long-term investmentplans for production growth and development. Differentsources for these investments can be supplied through retainedprofit, stock issuance, and bank loans, or a combination them. Institutions and firms need huge amount of capitals for theirsurvival, production, and also development of activities. In addition, these institutions and firms rely heavily on financialmarkets for self-financing. The role of financial markets is toprovide the required capitals for institutions and firms. Financingstrategy is considered as one of the main areas of financialmanagement decisions in companies seeking to increase shareholders’ wealth. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to discussconventional methods of external financing through debt andstock issuance and explain their associated advantages anddisadvantages.

The gathering of rural type in Guilan plains is a kind ofplanning for physical development of rural settlements thataims at changing dwellers' lifestyle from a dispersed to a semidispersedstate. This change will reduce the problems anddifficulties of villages. In addition, it is an optimal way toexploit the resources and facilities for making a desirable spatialorganization for villagers’ settlement in rural areas, which inturn provides a favorable condition for the development of anew pattern of settlement. The results of this study suggest thatexperts’ point of view toward gathering of plain rural types inGuilan province is positive and it can have significant role in alleviatingthe problems and difficulties of the villages. Also, optimal exploitation of space and achieving rural sustainabledevelopment are other side effects of this plan. Because of thelow level of information, prominent culture, cultural obstaclesand the lack of clear rules and regulations in this field are themain obstacles to run this plan in a short-term period. Giventhese limitations, the process of gathering plain rural type, then, requires the governmental support, the use of experts in ruraldevelopment planning, as well as villagers’ cooperation.