Challenges and opportunities of investment and financing to improve agricultural production

The amount of investment in Iran's agricultural sector is low. Despite the high potential of the agricultural sector in assisting production and creating value-added, the investment and financing of this sector face significant obstacles and challenges. In this regard, in the present study, using SWOT analysis, the main factors including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats surrounding investment in the agricultural sector of Fars province were identified. Then, using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), the importance (weight) of each of these main factors and their sub-factors was measured from the point of view of experts and farmers. In the following, based on the obtained weights for each of the main factors and sub-factors, the current position of the agricultural sector was drawn, as well as future strategies for the development and mobility of investment in the agricultural sector. The results showed that the current situation of investment and financing of the agricultural sector in the region corresponds to the integration strategy. Therefore, using strengths to avoid the negative consequences of threats, along with paying attention to the ability to limit the factors of weakness in order to strengthen and expand investment, should be on the agenda. Due to the high attractiveness of ST and WO strategies compared to other strategies, existing opportunities and weaknesses are very important. In this situation, it is suggested that the economic activists deal with the weaknesses while taking advantage of the opportunities and providing the basis for the diversity of activities.