فاطمه بادزبان

Increasing human societies' need for food security and the development of new science and technology, such as the production of high-yielding cultivars, the use of chemical inputs and genetic engineering, have devastating effects on the environment and natural resources. Therefore, extensive efforts have been made to introduce alternative agriculture as one of the ways to achieve sustainable development. Organic farming is a type of sustainable agriculture with the aim of creating integrated, systematic and humane agricultural production systems that are not in conflict with environmental and economic benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting organic farming activities among farmers in Bushehr Province. Using a survey, this study collected data from 67 farmers in two regions of Bushehr Province using stratified random sampling method. The face validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed by university professors and Jihad Keshavarzi Research Center and a pilot study, respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.6 to 0.91. The findings of structural equation models of the both regions revealed that factors such as knowledge of organic farming principles, attitude toward environmental conservation, attitude toward human health, attitude to conventional agriculture consequences and attitude toward reference group were the main determinants of farmers` attitude and behaviors toward organic farming systems.  Finally, suggestions are presented to encourage farmers to use organic farming.

Performance improvement of women's businesses has an important role on the progression of rural life quality. Analyzing the performance of rural women's businesses was the main aim of the study. The statistical population of the study included all members of the Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies in Fars province Fars province in the form of three companies in the cities of Marvdasht, Shiraz and Estahban (3479 members). The sample size was 269 according to formula. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the Agricultural Extension and Education Specialist of Shiraz University and the reliability was determined by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data was analyzed using SPSS software using ANOVA. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Comparison of entrepreneurial activities in four different business groups revealed that the entrepreneurial activity development in agriculture sector, conversion and handicraft activities and service activities were higher than that of women with livestock and poultry activities, respectively. Agricultural businesses have been in a desirable condition in terms of entrepreneurial activity, the effectiveness of communication and their business information, marketing strategies use, virtual social networks, business resilience as well as individual resilience. However, women engaged in livestock and poultry farming have not been in an acceptable situation in compare with than women in the other three business groups. Considering the important role of different types of businesses, it is suggested that holding educational workshops in the field of handicrafts and livestock activities in the list of rural women educational programs by related organizations.

One of the main contexts of womenchr('39')s participation in rural society is the creation of small businesses and entrepreneurship or self-employment. Microfinance funds and the Omid Entrepreneurship Fund have played a significant role in this regard. The main aim of study was to analyze the marketing activities of women entrepreneurs in the Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies and Omid Entrepreneurship Fund in Fars province. This survey study was conducted using stratified random sampling method and 307 individuales were interviewed through questionnaires for data collection. The main comparisons between the two women groups were done using T-tests. Based on the results, women entrepreneurs who are the members of Specialized Holding Companies had higher mean in terms of marketing methods awareness, marketing mixes, strategies and environmental factors than the members of Omid Entrepreneurship Fund. The members of the Specialized Holding Companies also were in a better position than women in the Omid Entrepreneurship Fund in terms of personality traits (success, risk-taking, creativity, and independence). In this regard, some applicable suggestions were presented in oreder to improve the marketing activities of rural women.

Education is one of the most important factors in developing entrepreneurial activities. Rural women entrepreneurs would be able to cope with barriers and also use new methods in accordance with modern technology and market changes through education. The main purpose of the study was to analyze the effects of entrepreneurship education on the function of rural women's businesses. All rural women members of the Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies in Fars Province were included in this research statistical population. The study was conducted using survey method and the sample included 269 rural women based on stratified random sampling. Required data was collected through a questionnaire. The findings revealed that attending educational classes had a great impact on motivation, skills, awareness, and entrepreneurship knowledge of rural women. Based on the results of analysis of variance, there were significant differences between women in the three different groups regarding their participation in entrepreneurship classes in terms of entrepreneurial activities development, individual resilience, business resilience, marketing methods and the virtual social networks use. Furthermore, there were significant differences between groups with different entrepreneurial knowledge in terms of entrepreneurial activity development, individual resilience, business resilience, marketing methods and the virtual social networks use. Finally, the study attempted to provide some applicable recommendations in order to improve rural women's entrepreneurial businesses.

The resilience of women businesses is a key factor in the survival and development of rural businesses which follow to poverty reduction and sustainable economic growth. Business resilience helps the entrepreneur to adapt and resist crises, which can be one of the drivers of successful womenchr('39')s entrepreneurial performance. Analyzing the entrepreneurial resilience of small and medium-sized businesses of rural women in Fars province was the main purpose of the study. All members of Fars Province Agricultural Development Specialized Holding Companies were the population of research which 269 of them were selected as a sample by stratified random sampling method for data collecting using questionnaire. Resilience of women entrepreneurs was measured based on Lifespan Resilience Scale-Business (LRS-B). The Resilience of rural women businesses was moderately upward in studied businesses. Comparison of women entrepreneurship resilience in Shiraz, Marvdasht and Estahban indicated that women entrepreneurs in Marvdasht have more business resiliency than women in Shiraz and Estahban. Variables of marketing strategies, marketing mix, marketing methods, firm support and marketing attitude had a positive and significant correlation with the resiliency of women entrepreneurs. According to regression results, marketing strategies, marketing mix, marketing methods and marketing attitude were the determinants of women businesses resilience. Finally, some applicable recommendations were presented in order to improvement of resiliency of rural women businesses.

Entrepreneurial resilience is the ability to withstand adversity quickly and is one of the most important personal traits in entrepreneurship. The resilience of women entrepreneurs in rural areas effectively creates or promotes business resilience, and as a result, the rural society. Resilient entrepreneurs welcome change instead of resisting and are very risk-averse and tolerant in achieving goals and managing challenges. This research aims to analyze the resilience of rural women entrepreneurs. The study's statistical population includes all members of parent companies supporting the development of agriculture in Fars province. The study was performed using stratified and random sampling methods with a sample of 269 people. A questionnaire was developed to collect data. The Connor-Davidson Individual Resilience Measurement Scale (CD-RISC) was used to measure resilience. According to the study results, the individual resilience of rural women in Fars province is almost high. A Comparison of the individual resilience in the three cities of the study shows that women entrepreneurs in Marvdasht and Shiraz have higher individual resilience than women entrepreneurs in Estahban. The variables of entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurial motivation, creativity, and the number of family members have a significant correlation with women entrepreneurs' resilience. Based on the results of the Stepwise regression, entrepreneurial spirit, entrepreneurial motivation, creativity, and the number of family members can predict the changes in women's resilience. Improving individual characteristics is necessary to improve rural women's entrepreneurial resilience. Therefore, it is suggested that training should be considered to strengthen the motivation, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of rural women. Strengthening the skills of rural women in decision-making, stress management, concentration, emotional control, and independent thinking will also improve their resilience.