فصلنامه روستا و توسعه
سال چهاردهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 56، زمستان 1390)

The purpose of this study is to examine the views of four groups of farmers, researchers, trainers and extension experts about the role of extension in agricultural development in Semnan, Mazandaran, Ilam, Qom, West Azarbayjan, and Khozestan provinces. The dependent variable is agricultural development in this causal study. The independent variables are: needs assessment, optimal management of inputs, farmers’ participation, problem inquiry, reducing losses, improvement of economic opportunities, enhancement of infrastructure, assessing the supply of technology, communication between experts, policy makers and farmers, market improvement, and a better use of equipment. Path analysis shows that extension roles in agricultural development include human development, needs assessment, technology supply, increasing participation, evaluation of technology supply, establishment of network between experts, policy-makers and farmers, problem inquiry, and optimal management of inputs. In causal research model, the development of human resources has the highest direct impact and need assessment, problem inquiry, and supply of technology have the highest indirect impacts on agricultural development.

Life quality is one of the issues faced by the modern world and considered as one of the main subjects in evolving the social policy-making. Therefore, this study aims to review the concept of life quality in rural regions through different theoretical approaches and also prioritize the regions in terms of life quality level in Aghbolagh district of Zanjan province, by using Vikor model and AHP, in 2009. The study follows a survey methodology with a documented procedure, and it is conducted by using survey studies and sampling among 18 villages and 36 members of Rural Islamic Council of the Aghbolagh sub-district of the Zanjan province within a sample society; and finally, the study results show that according to the life quality indexes, the villages of Arghin and Mameghan have the highest and lowest life quality in the region, respectively, indicating the presence of spatial differences in terms of the life quality among rural people in the studied region.

This study aims at investigating the factors effective on the success of rural women’s micro-credit fund in the international carbon sequestration project in the lands of Hosseinabad Ghinab region of Sarbisheh county in the South Khorasan province. The study is an applied research conducted in a descriptive survey method. The statistical society includes 616 women members of the micro-credit fund in this project; among them, 244 women are selected by using Cochran formula through a random sampling method during 2009-10. Validity of questionnaire is confirmed by a professional board and its reliability is also defined as 0.88 by Cronbach’s Alpha statistic, indicating a good validity. Research findings show that the variables of “extent of using communicative channels”, “amount of granted loan facilities”, “extent of satisfaction to the fund” and “number of sessions held on the fund issue” tend to have the most shares in the extent of variations in the dependant variable of “success of the fund”; and so, it could be concluded that there should be made a more precise planning on these variables for the funds to better succeed.

This study is conducted in a descriptive- survey method, and its statistical society includes 2224 wheat farmers who are covered by agricultural engineering and technical consulting service providers in Eslamabad-e Gharb county over the crop year of 2007-2008. Sample size (290 farmers) is determined by using the Krejcie and Morgan table in a stratified random sampling method; and study data is gathered through a questionnaire which is verified in terms of validity and reliability. Study results show that the farmers’ expectations in the five categories of behavioral, educational, technical, expectations related to the program, and access to resources are respectively realized. Therefore, it is suggested that should the objectives be effectively achieved, the concerned authorities will constantly have to consider the farmers’ expectations.

This study aims at identifying the extension and educational needs of the clergymen to participate in the plans for agricultural extension/education and natural resources. This is a descriptive-correlation research in survey method with a statistical society including all the clergymen who are actively involved in cultural configuration of agriculture and natural resources; and out of them, 260 persons are selected from the provinces of Kermanshah, Khorasan (Razavi, South and North), Ilam, Qazvin, and Yazd, as a sample by using Cochran formula with a proportionate to size stratified sampling technique. The study is carried out during 2009-10 period; and the required information is gathered through questionnaire, the formal and content validity of which is confirmed by experts’ views at the pre-test stage. Study results show that familiarity with laws and regulations of agriculture and natural resources, awareness of the occasions, and familiarity with the important plans in the ministry of Jihad for Agriculture are respectively the first to third priorities of the clergymen’s extension and educational needs.

In respect to the increasing population growth and the increase in food demands as well as the constraints of production factors, according to the endogenous growth models, the best way towards increasing the yields per ha in the agriculture sector is to pay attention to R&D activities, attract the R&D spillovers from the commercial partners, and increase the education and extension expenditures. So, this study examines the impacts of the accumulation of domestic and international R&D expenditures, accumulation of extension and education, and traditional production factors on the value added growth of the agriculture sector in Iran during 1968-2007. Study results indicate low impact of the domestic R&D accumulation and also insignificant impact of the foreign R&D accumulation on the value added growth of the agriculture sector. Moreover, the coefficient impact of the variable “accumulation of agricultural extension and education expenditures” on the value added growth of the sector is not significant as well, while that of the traditional production variables (ie. accumulation of physical and labor capital) is significant.

This study aims at identifying the variables effective on adopting the wheat crop insurance among wheat farmers in Dezfool county of Iran. Statistical society consists of these farmers of the county with a population of 3000 people, among whom 341 farmers are defined as sample size by using Krejcie and Morgan table. This is an applied research conducted in a survey method with a clustered random sampling. Analysis of the data collected through questionnaire indicates five features affecting the insurance adoption, including farming, economic, social, individual, and extension activities. Thus, the study concludes that knowledge and satisfaction of the farmers to adopt the insurance could be enhanced through holding more educational and extension courses on the insurance of agricultural products in accordance with farmers’ information needs in villages.

This research aims at studying the self-employed women’s personality features and motivations for starting a business in Kandovan village. It was conducted in a survey descriptive method in 2010. In the first place, 52 people among the self-employed women of the village were selected through enumeration, and the concerned data were collected via structured questionnaire. Results of data analysis show that the self-employed women’s features regarding risk-taking, internal locus of control, need of achievement, creativity and challenge-seeking are at the high average mean, and tolerance of ambiguity is at the low average mean; in addition, their motivations for ‘solving the unemployment in society’ and ‘earning independent income’ are among the most and the least important stimuli for starting self-employment. Providing and expanding the entrepreneurship and technical and professional skill trainings for the rural women can create and strengthen their incentives for self-employment.