IRANIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES (JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE)
Year:2006 | Volume:37-2 | Issue:1 (AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND DEVELOPMENT)|Papers Count:19

Price of agricultural commodities is one of the most important tools for resource allocation in the national economy of a nation. It plays a significant role in the nation's agricultural sector economy. Price policy is one of the important determining factors in the Iranian agricultural sector too. An important issue however is how transmission of agricultural commodities price mechanism influences marketing costs and margins. Some price policies could have undesirable effects on the cost, as well as on the marketing margin. The importance of asymmetric price transmission issue and its effects on marketing margin in Iranian chicken industry with regard to the industry's significant share in production, employment and investment in the agricultural sector make them necessary subjects of study. In this research, price transmission from farm to retail has been investigated. The results show that for the 1377-81 period (monthly statistics), while increase in farm prices is completely transferred to the retailer, but decrease in it doesn't, this verifying the asymmetric price transmission mechanism in the short, as well as in the long run. This results in opportunities for middlemen to pursue extra unusual profits. The results of the study indicated that such price support policies as either guaranteed price or import tariff can not perform as good mechanisms for complete price transmission to producers in this industry.

Information technology is envolving as a most important development axis the world over. Agricultural extension is strongly dependent on exchange of information between farmers and many other actors. In this article, it is intended to show the importance and necessity of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in agricultural extension. Statistical population consisted of 104 extension specialists who worked for the ministry of Agriculture as staff members in 2004.The results indicated significant differences among working experience, skill to produce and use of means ICTs as regards a specialist's using ICTs. The results of comparison of means showed that the extension specialist's use of information and communication technologies is more than that by other specialists.

The purpose of this study is a recognition of factors affecting educational achievement. The target population consisted of 194 students of Agricultural Faculty of Tehran University. The relaibility of questionnaire through Kronbakh test (individual and family characteristics of students %84, educational and scientific skills of the faculty %87, the content of curriculum %83, the characteristics of environment %85) was verified. The results indicated significant correlations between educational achievement and high school diploma average, hours of studying, educational programme, motivation, emotional environment, aim as well as family's attitude. Results indicated that girls benefitted from a more pronounced educational achievement as compared with boys. There was no significant difference observed between the students who lived with their family or in dormitory. The study showed that agronomy major achievement of students was the most successful among the eleven major students. Regression analysis revealed that %63.5 of the educational achievement variance among students was determined by the five variables of: diploma average, motivation, educational skills, father's education and finally emotional environment.

Rice constitutes an important part of the diet in Iran. Rice stem borer, (Chilo suppressalis) is a dominant pest of the crop in Mobarakeh and Lengan counties of Isfahan. The purpose of this study was to examine the effective factors involved in adoption of integrated management of rice stem borer in Isfahan province. Descriptive survey research was employed in the study. Questionnaire and interview were employed as means for data collection. The population consisted of farmers living in the villages where Biological Control Plan had been conducted (N=6000). The population frame was obtained from Isfahan Agricultural Organization. Sampling was done through cluster sampling method (n=361), with survey instrument having been developed by researchers. Face and contact validity of the instrument was established using a panel of experts consisting of senior faculty members in Agricultural Extension and Education at Tarbiat Modarress University. Further, the questionnaire was validated by agricultural officers in Isfahan province. The result of reliability analysis indicated a value of 0.83 for Cronbach Alpha. The results showed that, among the individual characteristics; there was a significant relation ship between adoption of integrated management and education as well as sources of income. Among the social characteristics, there was a significant relationship between adoption of integrated management and cosmopolitism as well as opinion leadership concerning biological control.

The purpose of this surveying research was to design a model for integrating sustainability into higher agricultural education. The formulated objectives, to accomplish the purpose of the study were to identify components, requirements and barriers of integrating sustainability into higher agricultural education. The study population consist of all the faculty members of the state agricultural colleges and universities (N= 1186). A sample of 206 members was selected by using the stratified random sampling method. Based on the results, the main components for integrating sustainability into higher agricultural education were respectively: (1) Teaching- Learning process (Education), (2) Operation, (3) Research, and (4) Outreach. Based on factor analysis and ranking techniques, six most highly ranked items on requirements for integrating sustainability into higher agricultural education were identified as: management-strategic, environmental-communication, participation-dynamic, process and content requirements. By factor analysis, barriers of integrating sustainability into higher agricultural education were reduced to four main factors, named as sustainability misconception, low organizational commitment, lack of promoting mechanisms, and lack of required resources & context.

This is a system of innovation - decision process, which an individual (or other decision - making unit) passes: (1) From first knowledge of an innovation, (2) to forming an attitude toward the innovation, (3) to a decision to adopt or reject, (4) to implementation of the new idea, and (5) to confirmation of this decision. Diffusion scholars have long recognized that an individual's decision about an innovation is not an instantaneous act. Rather it is a process that occurs over times, and the role of different communication channels and information sources at different stages of the innovation - decision process, was provided by the other research scholars. The main objective of this research was determining a model to cognition of the role of different communication channels and information sources at different stages of innovation - decision process over adoption of echo-sounder technology at the point of view of captains of fishing boats in Boushehr province of Iran. To study, a sample of 135 captains were selected, using "Proportional Random Sampling" method. Data were collected by filling out the questionnaires that had been tested before. The criterion like frequencies in terms of number, percentage, mean, mode and standard deviation were calculated. Also, factor analysis was used for the analysis of data. By the use of factor analysis model, communication channels and information sources classified into five categories like, local non-profit channels and sources, local profit channels and sources, provincial cosmopolite channels and sources, ultra-provincial cosmopolite channels and sources, and cosmopolite A.V. channels in respect of effectiveness of communication channels and information sources.

Disparities in distribution of services among provinces in Iran have turned into an extremely sensitive issue, which has attracted the attention of researchers and planners in recent years. This inequality in socio- economic development process of provinces, in general, and unequal distribution of agricultural extension services among provinces in particular, is visible and the country is characterized by intra- provincial disparities in terms of extension services enjoyment. Thus the main objective of the present study is to determine some important indicators of agricultural extension services and apply them in an analysis of the provincial distribution of agricultural extension services in Iran as well as to determine the level of provincial enjoyment in this respect. To achieve this objective, the study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, through review of available literature, 33 agricultural extension indicators were identified and evaluated by 75 experts in agricultural extension, selected randomly out of five different provinces. Out of those indicators only 30 were found appropriate for assessing the level of enjoyment of provinces from agricultural extension services. In the second phase, based on the indicators determined in the first phase, the required data from 28 provinces were collected. But at this stage only 24 extension indicators, (11 indicators of human resources and 13 indicators of physical facilities) were made available, and practically the data for the 6 indicators of financial resources in agricultural extension were not accessible. Therefore the analysis was carried out based on 24 indicators. For calculating composite indices of provinces and to determine the level of enjoyment of provinces from agricultural extension services, the indicators were made scale free by using the method of division by mean. Principal component method was employed to calculate the composite indices of human potentials as well as physical facilities of agricultural extension in provinces. The results revealed that from the viewpoint of extension services enjoyment, wide gaps exist among provinces. It was also shown that, human and physical extension services have not been distributed based on the needs and potentials of agricultural sector in different provinces.

One of the main agricultural policies adopted by the Iranian government is agricultural research in which sugarbeet research is an old and important one. Having developed an appropriate methodology in the framework of economic surplus approach, the paper seeks to evaluate the economic returns and welfare effects in sugarbeet research activities. The benefit cost ratio and internal rate of returns of this public investment during the study period were estimated to be 5.3 and 33.7 percent, respectively, indicating its relative efficiency as compared to other public investments. From income distribution perspective, about 174 percent of the welfare gains go to producers (74 percent of that is paid by taxpayers), more than 100 percent of that being gained by rural beet-growers. Sensitivity analysis of the results confirmed their robustness. It is concluded that the government, which intervenes because of market failure considerations, has got a poor efficiency as compared to other governments, whether in developed or developing countries. Therefore, some institutional research and innovations are needed in Iranian agricultural research system.

Internet may be one of the most significant technological innovations that has had extensive impacts on all aspects of education and research. The main purpose of this study was to examine the relative effective factors in adoption and application of Internet in educational and research activities of graduate students of agricultural education and extension. A descriptive correctional research method was employed to collect data. Findings indicated that 78 percent of extension researchers have access to Internet and 58 percent of whom benefit from awareness of Internet services at a high and very high level. Most effective factors in awareness of Internet are friends, self-experience and reading related books and articles. The main purposes of research workers from Internet research are doing research related activities, identification of expert resources as well as updating professional information. Finding also indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between respondents' perception (as regards relative advantage, triability, and observability of internet) with the variable of adoption and application of internet in educational and research activities. The relationship between respondents' perception towards internet and its complexity is negative and significant.

The main purpose of this research was to study the management tools used by farm families in Harsin County of Kermanshah province. The study was a survey - type research, questionnaire being used as assessment tool. The reliability of the main variables of the questionnaire, the average Cronbach Alfa for the respected scales, was about 0.77.The population sample consisted of 196 farmers who were wheat growers in seven villages of the county. Appropriate statistical techniques were employd to analyze the data. The results of factor analysis on risk perception identified five major risk factor in wheat production as pests and diseases, climatic and environmental factors, natural factor, security, and economical- credit factors. These are important in the control and reduction of risk factors. In addition, factor analysis indicated the existence of five major factors of risk management identified as: risk sharing management, water and soil management, crop plantation management, crop protection management, and marketing.

Increasingly proportion of the community's demand for higher education, under the constraint of limited work opportunities, has created pressure for graduates of educational system. The dramatic changes in the conditions of gainful employment bring new developmental questions to the fore. Prominent among them is the attempt to gain a better understanding of entrepreneurial activities. In response to the challenge of unemployment, the first and most obvious need is to expand the creation of more jobs. Entrepreneurship has widely been considered as a solution to economic and unemployment problems; and fundamental to the philosophy underpinning the entrepreneurial practice program is that the elements of entrepreneurship can be learned. Through education, it is possible to create the career prospects that provide initiatives for entrepreneurship. In determining the entrepreneurship concept, we are faced with entrepreneurial characteristics, functions as well as different related activities. Among these, four characteristics of: need for achievement, need for power, competitiveness and risk-taking behavior are considered to demand more attention. This study with the purpose of investigating entrepreneurial mentality - along with these characteristics - seeks to better understand training needs of students at Agricultural College - Shiraz University. Descriptive research method and survey research approach were employed in the study. The population consisted of the students at agricultural college (ten disciplines) - Shiraz University. Sampling procedure was stratified random sampling, respondents being selected from two strat a of: sophomores and seniors. The standard survey instrument was questionnaire composed of 4 scales, measuring: need for achievement, need for power, competitive situation, and risk-taking propensity. Face validity of the instrument was confirmed by experts and scales were subjected to reliability test, using data collected from the pilot study. Findings show that 39.8, 37.1, 51.2 and 49.4 percent of students benefited from a low to fair level of need for achievement, need for power, competitiveness and risk taking behavior, respectively. Males and females react differently to risk, females being less risk-takers than male students. Sophomore and senior students weren't significantly different as regards entrepreneurship characteristics. Studying at different agricultural disciplines doesn't bear any special effect on different entrepreneurial characteristics.

Fishery officers play a vital role in aquatic production system. Their main function is to guide the clientele and fish suppliers to make sure they practice sustainable aquaculture with regard to the laws, principles and regulations as determined by the Iranian Fishery Organization (SHILAT). The main purpose of this study was to assess educational needs of fisheries officers with respect to sustainable aquaculture. The type of study is a descriptive - correlative and applied survey method. The study population includes officers who are employed in aquaculture executive sectors. The samples were selected by means of simple classified sampling method. Validity of the research instrument was verified with due attention to the supervisors' and collective of aquaculture experts' comments. A pilot test was conducted through 10 questionnaires, 0.85 being computed as a coefficient. The findings indicated educational needs of fisheries' officers as regards sustainable aquaculture to be, according to priority, sustainable aquaculture management, biotechnical factors' management, as well as control & approved management of aquatic diseases.

Due to the importance of wheat in consumers' food basket, wheat market is totally under governmental control in Iran. Demand for wheat is met by the domestically produced, as well as imported wheat. The product is first transported to the storage centers and from there distributed to consumer centers. During the year 1379 (2000-01) the largest volume of transportation, after cement went to wheat (6.5% of total transported items). Therefore, apply trying to a model for minimizing transportation costs seems to be a must. For this propose a linear programming transportation model was applied to find an optimum program for wheat transportation from the centers of provinces as well as from import origins to different storage centers. This model was run using 1379(2000-01) monthly data of production, import, consumption, capacity of storage centers and transportation costs. Lingo computer package was applied to solve the model. An implementation of the optimum program is expected to reduce wheat transportation costs by about 138 billion rails from actual prevailing costs. Moreover, an optimum schedule of location and timing of arrival of imported wheat along with kind of transportation (direct or indirect) from production centers was determined. In order to optimally use existing facilities, and to reduce the governmental expenditures, parameters of proposed model must be predicted and applied to the model at the beginning of each year, to determine the optimal transportation plan.

Agricultural activities, in contrast with other economical activities, face more risks and uncertainties. Insuring agricultural crops especially the strategic ones, such as wheat is a supportive policy on the part of the governments. The main point of concern is the reluctance of wheat producers to insure their crops. The main goals of this research, carried out in tafresh county, central province of Iran' were to determine the influential factors affecting the adoption of wheat insurance in such a policy. The type of research was a descriptive-correlational one. Instrument of data gathering was questionnaire, for which two types of questionnaires were designed. The first one was for adopters of wheat insurance contracts and the second one for nonadopters. The research population consisted of wheat cultivators, and while employing stratified sampling method, two groups of sample population were selected; n = 120 individuals for adopters of wheat insurance contract, and n = 120 individuals for non-adopters of the insurance. Coronbach Alpha's coefficient was employed to determine reliability of the questionnaires. 84% and 81% were the values found for the coefficients which are acceptable. Expert opinions were used to ascertain the validity of the questionnaires. Research design in this study included the steps of determining descriptive statistics, such as percent, mean, etc. Inferential statistics included, Spearman & phi correlation's coefficient, Chi-square test, t-test , Man Whitney and Regression. The results of the logistic regression showed that the six variables of: 1) the level of literacy, 2) awareness of insurance opportunity, 3) regular contact with extension workers, 4)receival of credit, 5) payment as loss compensation, and 6) farming land size represent the significant relationships with adoption of contracts in wheat insurance policies.

Pistachio is the main foreign exchange- earning agricultural product which ranks third as an export commodity in Iranian economy. The objective here is to investigate the transmission of pistachio price from farm-gate o export and then to world market levels in the period of 1986-2002. The results of Granger's causality test indicate that farm-gate and export price changes are not the cause of international price changes. Furthermore, there is no mutual relationship between farm-gate and export prices. The results of empirical model show that price transmission from farm-gate to export market and back is asymmetric. Price decreases are more rapidly as well as more completely transmitted from farm-gate to export level than price increases, the elasticity in price decrease being greater than that in price increase. On the other hand the transmission of price increases from export level to farm-gate markets is more rapid and more complete than the transmission of price decreases, the elasticity of price increases being greater than that of price decreases. This bounds the exporter profit from each side. As a conclusion, design of policies to support pistachio exporters is recommended.