ع.حشمتی

Extension and educational programs use various measures to advise farmers on adapting to climate change. Satisfaction with these programs is a tool to study their effectiveness. In this respect, studying the factors influencing satisfaction with extension and educational programs can help planners and policymakers of the agricultural sector in general, and agricultural extension in particular, to improve the quality of these programs. Therefore, the present paper explores the factors influencing satisfaction and loyalty in extension and educational programs. The statistical population was composed of all participants of these programs in Fars Province, Iran. A total of 150 participants was estimated as the sample size. Participants were selected through random sampling. Data collected from the participants were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The results showed that the research variables had optimal validity and reliability. The variables of appropriate extension packages and perceived value were among the most important factors dictating satisfaction with extension and educational programs. In addition to these two variables, other factors including image, emotions, perceived economic return, and tangibles of the educational programs had direct impacts on satisfaction and indirect impacts on loyalty to these programs. Research findings can help farmers to adapt to climate change.

This study aimed to investigate the residue levels and dissipation rates of chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and their oxon derivatives in greenhouse-grown tomatoes and to evaluate the acute and chronic Hazard Quotients (HQ) for consumption of these products. The quantification analyses of chlorpyrifos and diazinon and their degradation products were performed using Gas Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The Monte Carlo simulation technique was used to evaluate the variability and uncertainty of the data and to achieve more accurate results in the health risk assessment process. The chronic HQ values of chlorpyrifos and diazinon residues ranged from 0.24 to 0.85 and 0.06 to 1.09 for adults, 0.45 to 1.34 and 0.12 to 1.66 for adolescents, and 0.71 to 1.80 and 0.21 to 3.78 for children, respectively. After five days of storage in room and refrigerator temperatures, the HQ values of diazinon and chlorpyrifos were higher than the acceptable limits. According to the Monte Carlo simulation, the HQ and the estimated daily intake (EDI) values were more affected by the consumption rate followed by pesticide concentration and body weight. Therefore, due to the high frequency of tomato consumption, it is necessary to reduce the concentration of pesticides in this product in order to reduce human health risk.