مسعود بیژنی

In order to deal with the environmental risks caused by human behavior and change it towards sustainable pro-environmental behaviors, it is suggested to re-establish the connection between humans and the natural world. The purpose of this research was to identify the components affecting connectedness to nature (CTN) in order to strengthen conservation behaviors in the context of critical theory paradigm. To analyze the selected final articles, qualitative content analysis technique with inductive approach was used as the research method. The articles related to CTN are considered as the statistical population and sample in this technique. Selection of the article from population was fulfilled using a purposeful approach. Based on the results of content analysis, a model was developed and proposed for components affecting CTN. The results showed that the three main components including "situational-contextual (experience with nature and activities affecting CTN)", "individual (worldviews and individual factors)", and "psychological (mindfulness, identity, and empathy)" dimensions affecting CTN. Each of the sub-components also encompasses several variables that, when given attention, can enhance CTN and pro-environmental conservation behaviors. The model developed and proposed in the present study can be utilized by policymakers and stakeholders interested in facilitating change and planning for decision-making processes among natural resource users.

Transportation networks are considered fundamental infrastructures in any country and are significant in terms of economic, social, political, and environmental aspects. Freeways, as one of the vital lifeline infrastructures, can be among the essential elements of civilization and progress for any country, considering their technical and physical conditions and environmental quality. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of constructing the Khorramabad-Arak freeway on rural areas, with an emphasis on sustainable development goals. The methodology in this research is qualitative (data base theory). The samples were selected purposefully and by snowball method among local residents, workers, consulting engineers and employees in department of Roads and Urban Development. The results of this study indicate that the overall construction of the freeway has had positive economic, social, and institutional effects on neighboring villages. It has led to a reduction in vehicle consumption and fuel consumption, decreased travel distance, increased speed in the transportation of agricultural products, job creation for local people, increased job diversity in the region, enhanced safety, reduced accidents and human casualties, improved accessibility for tourists, and increased supervision by administrative forces in the area. However, in terms of environmental and agricultural aspects, the impacts of this freeway include the emission of fossil fuel gases from machinery, dust and noise pollution from vehicle and machinery activities, waste production around temporary private and labor workshops, changes in land use, deforestation, etc., which are evaluated as negative.

One of the main challenges in the field of agricultural higher education is finding a balance between teaching and research activities. The main goal of this study was to analyze the content of this balance in the field of agriculture. To achieve this goal, a systematic review method was used in the form of qualitative interpretive content analysis. After searching and evaluating relevant studies, 125 studies were considered as the final sample. Relevant research evidence was identified and extracted from reputable databases (Science Direct, Google Scholar, Jihad University Scientific Information Center, Civilica, and Mogiran). The analysis of the results showed that the components of the balance between teaching and research in agricultural higher education include current activities in the classroom, current processes in the structure of higher education system, existing infrastructure in the higher education system, interaction of agricultural faculties with the surrounding environment, resources and time, collaboration and interaction, evaluation and accreditation, and organizational culture are the factors contributing to or lack of balance between teaching and research. In this regard, to maintain the balance between teaching and research, it is necessary for three key factors, including curriculum relevant to current agricultural issues, faculty members, and students, to pay attention to this issue; furthermore, the attention of policymakers is also essential to create a suitable balance in this area.

The drought and water shortages of the last few decades have had a significant effect on the reduction of underground water resources in the Upper Karkheh Basin; On the other hand, the dependence of the life of rural communities and the agricultural sector on water resources (especially underground water resources) is undeniable; Therefore, this research aims to take a look at the sustainable management of underground water resources by emphasizing social and human issues. The current research is an applied and single-section research. The statistical population of the study was the experts involved in the management of water resources in the agricultural sector, the relevant faculty members in the university, the researchers and the farmers in the study area, and 68 people were selected purposefully. The required information was collected through semi-structured interviews; this stage's results  were analyzed using content analysis. The results of this part were 330 open codes, which by removing similar and duplicate items, 150 components were finalized. In the following, they were summarized using the STEEP analytical model. Sustainable management requires the application of strategies that consider the balance of supply and demand. In this regard, strategies were developed, which include the strategy of efficiency and effectiveness of aquifers and their development (environment); The strategy of implementing integrated management of water resources in the Karkheh Alya basin (policy-making); The strategy of reforming the structure of water consumption in the region in line with adaptation to water scarcity (policy-social); The strategy of diversifying the economy of rural communities with an emphasis on non-agricultural (economic) jobs for the resilience of rural communities and finally the fifth strategy of developing new technologies in the region (technical-technological).

The purpose of the present research was to analyze the content of the basic technical knowledge textbooks of horticulture, agricultural and livestock affairs of the second cycle secondary school from the perspective of smart climate agriculture. The current research was applied in terms of purpose and in terms of method, it was a descriptive study of content analysis type. To analyze the content and determine the active and inactive categories, the William Rumi technique was used, and the results and data were processed using Shannon's entropy method. The research population consisted of the content of the second cycle secondary school basic technical knowledge textbooks of horticulture, livestock and agricultural affairs published in 1401 academic year. All texts, questions and pictures of the textbooks were checked by census. The data collection tool was a note-taking form and a content analysis checklist based on William Rumi and Shannon's entropy tables. Findings showed that the coefficient of students' engagement with the text of books of basic technical knowledge of horticultural, livestock and agricultural affairs were 0.3, 0.7, and 0.3, respectively. The coefficient of students' engagement with the pictures and questions of the mentioned textbooks were also 0.3, 0.5 and 0.3, respectively. Therefore, according to William Rumi, in terms of the text, pictures and questions of the textbooks, only the textbook of basic technical knowledge of livestock affairs is active. Finally, the results showed that in the text, pictures and questions of the textbooks under study, the information load and the importance coefficient of inactive categories are more than active ones.

Any long-term changes on the weather conditions are called climate change. The most critical environmental threat against the earth planet is the climate changes on these days. In other hand, the climate changes which has increased so fast in these decade has caused the water managers, the water consumers and the all authorities and planners face with serious challenges and there is no clue. It does not seem there is logical way to assume that the climate changes and hydrological conditions are going to remain in the same structure as they have been before. Therefore, the important issue is making a useful plan to avoid and control effects of climate changes while we are facing serious challenges by the impacts of climate. The climate changes has made a bad impact on the agricultural part in the different regions of world, so farmers need to be adapted more with these changes to save their livelihood. This research is done based on understanding how the farmers are adapting with the climate changes by using of the behavioral model in Khoy Township.

The present quantitative research as an applied inquiry which has been done in the descriptive-correlational method in Khoy Township. The statistical population was 25811 households which 380 of them was selected based on Krejcie and Morgan sample size table and stratified random sampling method. The research instrument was a questionnaire which its face and content validity was confirmed by a panel of expert in the field of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha (0.72 ≤α ≤0.90) in order. The descriptive and inferential statistics is used for data analyzing.

The results showed that the level of adapting for the all farmer households is not equal. At the end we will provide the model of the farmer household adapting to the climate change and also useful and effective methods to reduce of the negative effects of climate changes on rural households. Based on the findings the most important effective factors on adapting are keeping the agriculture structure, living standards, social solidarity, using of various strategies for adapting, learning new ways to fight with crisis and keeping the power of decision that have most relation with adapting. On the other, maintaining the mood has less relation with the dependent variable. The independent variables anticipate 87% of the dependent variable's changes.

The results show that households increase their ability to adapt to climate change economically by using different strategies and new crisis response strategies. Evaluating farmers' actions on climate change also shows that most farmers are aware of the effects of the climate change and are able to maintain and improve their livelihood. So we can create a sustainable situation for adaptation to climate change by presenting new techniques to local farmers and updating climate information.

Since livestock farmers have a prominent role in raising the efficiency and effectiveness of livestock farming activities and the quantity and quality of products of this sub-sector, therefore, it is important to know the educational needs. The main purpose of this study was to assess the training needs of livestock farmers in the villages of Khorram Abad using the Borich needs assessment model. The current research is applied in terms of purpose, descriptive in terms of methodology, and survey field in terms of the method of data collection. The statistical population included all livestock farmers of Khorramabad township (N=12014). The sample size was determined using Krejcie & Morgan, 372 people. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the formation of a specialized group of experts in the field of agricultural extension and education at Tarbiat Modares University and the staff of the General Veterinary Department of Khorramabad Township. A pilot test and Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient were used to measure reliability, and SPSS26 software was used for data analysis. Based on the results obtained in this research, 32 required qualifications and abilities were prioritized based on the priority score obtained from the Borich model. The results indicate that the highest and most training needs of livestock farmers included how to inject drugs into livestock, livestock insurance, artificial insemination, and personal and health care that require high training.

In this study, the AW-A well of Ahvaz oil field was investigated which is threatened due to closed flow pressure drop. The study and optimization of the AW-A well has been done by mixing three natural production options from the well, modifying the internal structure of the well by driving the tubing and applying different percentages of produced water and applying the artificial production system (with gas injection). In this study, it was tried to bring the general information related to the Black Oil route closer to the reality according to the compositional information, and then the other studies were conducted based on the Black Oil route. In this research, PIPESIM software was used to simulate the gas lift in one of the wells of the Ahvaz oil field and the effect of changing the size and depth of the tubing and comparing the effect of production from different tubings and the most optimal diameter and depth of the tubing. The most suitable and optimal option was gas lift method according to the simulation, so that the production rate can be increased to 2217 barrels per day in the current conditions of the reservoir.</em>

Liquid Loading is one of the common problems in gas wells that can cause production to stop. This research has tried to investigate the occurrence of this phenomenon in one of Iran’s onshore condensate gas fields using PIPESIM software. In this research, the formation of liquids in the gas reservoir in the target field and the behavior of this phenomenon during production from the well and its control methods have been studied. The results of this research show the occurrence of liquid Loading in the well due to overflow in the reservoir of 2200 psi, then the critical rate of liquid loading of 6.2 million cubic feet was calculated by Pipesim software and the appropriate solutions to control the production from the well and LL It was checked by changing the diameter of the tubing and also using a choke, which showed that the use of a reducer and tubing with the right diameter can have a good effect on production control.</em>

Water scarcity, especially in the agricultural sector, is one of the most important issues in Iran, and in the future, the occurrence of various challenges in the state of water resources is inevitable. Based on this, it is necessary to make a decision and a comprehensive study for the future. This is applied, single-section, and normative research, and the foresight approach has been used for the sustainable management of underground water resources. The statistical population of this research was all experts from institutions related to water resources management in Lorestan province. At first, semi-structured interviews were conducted, and then the CIA technique was used. 8 driving components were identified and in order of priority, they are the development of infrastructure to attract investments and the development of knowledge and awareness of the users of the region's problems (impact score 26), valuing water and removing subsidies related to water in the agricultural sector (score 21), development of non-agricultural businesses in rural communities (impact score 28) and strengthening the relationship of water-related institutions (impact score 29). The final results of this research showed that it is necessary to realize the sustainability of underground water resources in the Karkheh-Olia basin and at the same time to pay attention to several different areas and this variety can be obtained from the different nature of the drivers.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the key actors of groundwater resources with a focus on sustainability in the Karkheh-Olia catchment in which the future research approach and actor analysis technique (Mactor) were used. The information was collected through interviews and actor-actor and actor-target questionnaires. The sample included 11 subject experts and university professors in the form of three three-person panels and one two-person panel, which were selected purposefully. The results showed that 16 actors are effective in this field, and Program and Budget Organization and the Islamic Parleman are the most competitive actors scoring 2.50 and 2.13 points, respectively. In contrast to non-governmental/civil organizations, the Housing Foundation and the private sector were the most uncompetitive actors who have scored 0.06, 0.2, and 0.4 respectively. In addition, the results showed that according to their goals and mission, most of the actors agree more to achieve two goals, including development of non-agricultural jobs in rural communities and development of infrastructure to attract investments, which were assigned 27.8 and 21.2 points respectively. According to the results, most of the actors have divergence (pursuing separate goals) and their degree of convergence (agreement to realize the common goal) in the planning and policy-making of water resources management is at a weak level compared to each other, which should be seriously addressed in the plannings and policy-makings of water resources management.

In Iran, out of 88.5 billion water resources, about 83 billion cubic meters or 93.5% is allocated to the agricultural sector and therefore agriculture is the largest consumer of water. Increasing population, increasing cultivation area, and agricultural production have increased the consumption of these resources. Eventually, increased consumption leads to a decrease in the water table and drainage of aquifers. Statistics show that many of the plains are currently in crisis. Romeshkan plain is one of the plains which has faced a significant reduction of resources in the recent decades. The purpose of this study was to develop the strategies for the sustainable management of water resources in this plain. Romeshkan plain is a forbidden plain, but there are still many exploitations in it. Crops are planted in this plain that need a lot of water.

The present study is an applied and descriptive research (non- Experimental). This research has investigated the strategies of sustainable management of groundwater resources in Romeshkan plain using the Fuzzy Delphi technique. The sample size was 28 faculty members, experts, , and farmers in Khorramabad and Romeshkan. The sample size was estimated using the purposeful snowball sampling method. Secondary data were also obtained from government departments to identify and describe the Romeshkan plain. Data on water resources of Romeshkan plain were required. These data show how much water resources have dwindled over the last three decades.

The results showed that despite the criticality of the Romeshkan plain, the livelihood of rural communities is mainly dependent on the agricultural sector. Also, hydrophilic crops are widely cultivated. In this plain, the structure of supply and exploitation of water resources is traditional. The agricultural lands of this plain do not have a new irrigation system. The results of this research show 5 types of strategies (economic, technological, environmental, policy-oriented, and social). The priority of the strategies has been to "develop sustainable rural employment." This will certainly require "human development of water-related actors and empowerment of rural communities." "Developing the right technologies", which was another strategy, could also help reform the traditional structure of supply and consumption of these resources.

Now the conditions of Romeshkan plain are critical. The results of this study showed that sustainable management of groundwater resources in this plain will not be achieved solely based on technological strategies. And economic, social, policy and environmental strategies must also be considered. Reform of the water consumption structure should be considered in parallel with the development of non-agricultural employment. Because the development of employment reduces the pressure on these resources.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the aesthetic behavior of villagers from the perspective of environmental psychology using Maslow's pyramid of needs. The research method was descriptive -analytical using a survey. The statistical population included the rural people of Kermanshah province, 385 of whom were selected by stratified random sampling with proportional assignment. The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of agricultural extension and education experts. Its reliability was calculated by performing a pre -test using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.71≤α≤0.82) which indicates the acceptable reliability of the research instrument. The findings showed that most of the respondents were in the fourth level (need to esteem). One -way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and LSD paired comparison post hoc test showed that there is a significant difference among rural people with the levels of "physiological", "safety", "social", "esteem" and "aesthetic" needs in terms of environmental aesthetic behaviors; In this way, people with "physiological -safety needs" exhibit low aesthetic behavior, "social needs" exhibit moderate behavior, and individuals with "esteem - aesthetic needs" exhibit higher -level aesthetic behavior, which is consistent with Maslow's pyramid philosophy of needs. According to the obtained results, suggestions were made to improve the environmental aesthetic behavior of the villagers.

Today, the study of human intervention in nature and the effects and consequences of human behavior on the natural and artificial environment has received much attention. Among these, attention to the aesthetic dimension of the environment has received less attention than other dimensions related to natural resource issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of place attachment and cultural habits on the environmental aesthetic behavior from the perspective of villagers in Kermanshah province. This research is of causal-relational type which was done using survey technique. The statistical population was the villagers of Kermanshah province (N = 1725956), of which 385 people were selected using Krejcie and Morgan table and stratified random sampling method with proportional assignment. Findings indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between "environmental aesthetic behavior" with the variables "place attachment" and "environmental cultural habits". The results of path analysis showed that place attachment has the highest ability to predict environmental aesthetic behavior (β = 0.398). In general, the independent variables of the study were able to explain 30.5% of the variance of environmental aesthetic behavior. According to the results, it can be claimed that focusing on cultural habits through attracting the participation of villagers might be very effective in maintaining natural aesthetic and the occurrence of pro-environmentalist behaviors.

The need to pay attention to entrepreneurship to maintain economic security of rural areas in rural development programs is very important. Entrepreneurship development can be accelerated through a deep understanding of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The purpose of this study was to analyze the importance of entrepreneurial ecosystem and identify its role in rural development. The method of this research was based on literature review. The results showed that the development and creation of entrepreneurial ecosystem consists of social, economic and geographical spaces in which entrepreneurs work together in hard and soft support infrastructures to produce and develop new jobs, localization of rural entrepreneurship based on demographic characteristics and environmental conditions prevailing in the rural areas to be achieved. In fact, understanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem facilitates the possibility of educating entrepreneurs, providing entrepreneurial infrastructure, and investing in them. This requires the participation of the rural community, which has a significant relationship with the increase of entrepreneurial activities and economic and social development of rural areas. Undoubtedly, each region should have a different and appropriate entrepreneurial ecosystem based on its social, cultural, economic, political and geographical location, so that entrepreneurial activities can show the best performance. In this regard, policy-making should be based on the specific advantages of each rural area with government facilitation and maximum participation of financial and human capital, support and capacity with a focus on local conditions and reform and development of desirable legal laws and regulations.

Students' academic achievement is one of main indicators in evaluating higher agricultural education. One of the most effective strategies in terms of academic achievement is to reinforce self-directness and meta-cognitive skills. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of elf-directness and meta-cognitive skills on the academic achievement of agriculture students in Iran. This research was a descriptive-correlational study using a survey technique. The instrument adopted in this study was a questionnaire which validity was confirmed by a group of curriculum developers and educational planning specialists in the higher agricultural education system. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were used to determine the reliability of this scale. Cronbach's alpha values ​​for different variables showed the acceptable reliability of this instrument (0.74≤α≤0.96). The statistical population of the study consisted of the agriculture students in Iran (N=236973). The sample size was estimated to be 150 persons by using Cochran statistics and two-stage sampling method (cluster sampling and proportional stratified random sampling). The results showed that the variables self-directness, metacognitive skills, and social conditions had a positive and significant effect on the academic achievement among these students. In total, they could predict a significant percentage (68.1%) of variance for the variables academic achievement.

The purpose of this research is initially to model the pressure and temperature profiles along with other properties of the reservoir production fluid such as density, viscosity, and different in situ useful parameters in the well using the Beggs and Brill method as well as the marching algorithm. As a result, we can be aware of scale formations anywhere in the well at any time without the use of particular physical and inside of the well tools without spending a lot of economic costs. After estimating the thermodynamic and physical conditions of the well fluid, the physicochemical state of the producing fluid in saturated, supersaturated, and undersaturated states forms problematic scale deposits using calculations of concentration changes and saturation index using Oddo and Tomson method. Finally, using mathematical models, we investigate and record the potential for deposition, critical depths, and prone to scale deposition. Although deposits that stop the production of wells may be in porous media, this study was performed only inside the well and the tubing. The results of modeling on one of the oil wells under the supervision of the national company for southern oilfields as a case study showed that with an increase in depth from the surface, the saturation indexes for hemihydrate calcium and strontium sulfate scales along the well in almost all the depths are negative. As a result, it can be said that there is no possibility of the formation of these scales at different depths of the well. The same is true for the scale formation of hydrated calcium sulfate (gypsum). In addition, near the surface, the saturation index of this scale is positive and slightly larger than zero, which indicates the possibility of gypsum deposition in this depth range. Finally, the saturation index for anhydrous calcium sulfate (anhydrite), barium sulfate, and calcium carbonate (calcite) scales have always been positive, which indicates the probability of the formation of these scales in the well.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the challenges of establishing agricultural knowledge-based companies (AKBCs) in order to provide appropriate strategies, which was done using an applied research design, an exploratory data collection and analysis method, and a field survey at Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). The statistical population consisted of all IROST faculty members, 23 of whom were purposefully selected as the sample. The results of the SWOT analysis showed that the most important strengths to launch of AKBCs in the internal environment were "efficient use of experts and innovators" and "having the facilities and infrastructure to rent to AKBCs" and the main weaknesses were "lack or failure to define the intellectual property rights practices and policies of AKBCs" and "emphasis of promotion regulations on faculty members' articles and research projects". In the external environment, "supporting innovative knowledge-based projects in the country", "agricultural industry needing research and development units to produce innovative and technological products" and "making money from AKBCs" were extracted as the most important opportunities. In addition, "low transparency and unstructured economy of the country in the use of knowledge-based products" was identified as the major threat. The analysis of total environment showed that external environment dominates the internal. Furthermore, the positive and auxiliary environment dominates the risky environment. The result of the strategic environment analysis demonstrated that aggressive (growth and development) strategies should be used to establish AKBCs.

Implementation of extension sites approach is one of the activities for empowering the farmers. The aims of extension site approach were increasing in quality and quantity and sustainable production of agricultural products. The purpose of this study was to compare consumption of inputs in five crops of irrigated wheat, rain fed wheat, rapeseed, sugar beet and potato before and after implementation of extension sites approach in Hamedan province in 2018-2019. This research is applied in term of purpose, is survey in term of collecting data, is quasi-experimental in term of controlling variables and is ex-post facto research in term of analyzing the data. The statistical population included 78 extension sites approach in Hamedan province. For selecting the sample, first of all five cities of Kabudar Ahang (north), Hamedan (center), Nahavand (south), Famenin (east), and Asadabad (west) selected from different geographical situation. The number of extension sites approach were 43 in these cities. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s sampling table, 36 sites selected as sample and unit of analysis (n=36). Following that 142 main and functional farmers were selected and studied using random sampling method. The results of t- test showed that the consumption of inputs decreased after the implementation of extension sites approach and there were differences between consumption of inputs before and after running model site, except for human labor force. In addition, farmer’s income and performance per unit area have increased since the extension site was launched.

oduction: Environmental problems and Chalenges are one of the major concerns of today's society. Often, these chalenges stem from human behavior that can be overcome by changing their attitudes and behaviors and promoting the consequences of these problems. Some of the most important pro-environmental behaviors include energy consumption, water and soil conservation, recycling and the like, with many personal, social and environmental benefits. One of the major goals of universities is to educate students towards environmental issues. In this regard, the role and position of agricultural higher education is of particular importance. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to "analyze the factors affecting pro-environmental behavior as perceived by students in Iran's agricultural higher education system based on Bandura's social-cognitive theory".

This study is a descriptive-correlational and causal-relational research. The statistical population of this study was students at state colleges of agriculture in Iran. 129 of them were selected using a random two-stage cluster sampling based on five scientific poles of the country (N = 236973). The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts in the field of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was determined using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.66≤α≤0.87).

The results showed that there is a positive and significant correlation between pro-environmental behavior and other effective variables other than the Students’ level of education. In this regard, intention, self-identity, outcome expectancy, self-regulation, perception of others' behavior and self-efficacy had the highest correlation with pro-environmental behavior. The results of the causal analysis showed that the variables of "perception of others Behavior", "outcome expectancy" and "self-identity" had a significant effect on pro-environmental behavior which is in line with the Bandura's social-cognitive theory, but "intention", "self-efficacy" and "self-regulation" had no significant effect.

Causal analysis results showed the students’ pro-environmenal behavior in the higher agricultural education system is influenced by the perception of others’ behavior and they learn from observation and consequences of others' behavior. Such findings show the importance of social environments. In other words, although individuals may have motivations and behaviors in order to preserve the environment, but this behavior is influenced by their social environment and providing such an environment is considered one of the implications of higher education systems for creating green universities. At the end, based on the findings, some recommendations have been presented.

The higher education system, as the most obvious manifestation of human resource investment, plays a key role in training and providing effective human resources. The agricultural higher education system is no exception to this rule. But, the question is, what should such a system look like for optimal impact on human resource development? This study aimed to analyze the gap between current and desirable situations of agricultural higher education system factors affecting human resources development (HRD) in Yazd province. The statistical population consisted of faculty members of Yazd agricultural higher education and research centers (N=253), 163 of whom were selected based on Krejcie and Morgan table using stratified random sampling method. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire which its face validity was confirmed by a panel of agricultural higher education experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by ordinal theta for both parts of current status (0.81≤θ≤0.87) and desirable status (0.83≤θ≤0.93). In order to process the data using SPSS24 and R software, in addition to descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test was used to compare faculty members' viewpoints towards the current and desirable situations of agricultural higher education system factors affecting human resources development. The results indicated a significant gap between the current status and the desired status of four factors influencing HRD (respectively increase in gap) including "job and skill competence of human resources", "process of training and educational planning", "balance in supply and demand and interaction with economic sectors "and" development of innovation in agricultural higher education system".

Economic prosperity depends on knowledge-based development, and therefore the establishment of knowledge-based companies (KBCs) has received serious attention. The purpose of this study is to identify and explain the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the process of the establishment of KBCs by the faculty members of the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). The data gathering instruments of this study were in-depth and semi-structured interviews and the qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyze the extracted data. The statistical population consisted of 23 faculty members of IROST who were founders of KBCs which were selected by purposeful sampling. The triangulation techniques, including the use of confirmatory sources, researchers and various methods were used to determine validity during the data collection and analysis process. Also, the guidance of the interview flow, the creation of a structured process for conducting and interpreting the interviews and the formation of a specialized committee were used to confirm the reliability. The findings were presented in four main themes (concepts) including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) and 46 sub-themes (codes). The results of the qualitative content analysis showed 13 strengths, 14 weaknesses, 9 opportunities and 10 threats in the process of establishment of KBCs by the faculty members of IROST which can be used in the development of strategies and action plans for the prosperity and development of KBCs.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of farmers' time perspective on their drought risk management behavior in downstream of Karkheh dam. This research is a descriptive-correlational and ex post facto research that was conducted using a survey. The statistical population was farmes who were members in water user association in downstream of Karkheh dam, Khuzestan province (N=3668) which 350 of them were selected using Karjesi and Morgan table and stratified random sampling method with proportional assignment. The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts in the field of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was determined using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.79≤α≤0.92). The findings indicated that farmers' risk management behavior is moderate and most farmers have a present-oriented viewpoint. Also, from the viewpoint of time perspective, there is a significant difference between past-orientd farmers and others (present-orinted and future-orinted farmers) from the perspective of drought risk management practices, and the past-orientd group exhibits a weaker behavior in this regard. Accordingly, as a policy strategy in water resource management planning, shift farmers' time perspectives should be considered from past-oriented to present and, in particular, to future perspectives.

This study aimed to identify and assess classrooms’ physical environment improvement strategies by horticultural education teachers to work with students with special needs in Iran. This first phase was conducted used a modified Delphi technique. The specialized Delphi team consisted of gardening education teachers in the Special Education Organization of Iran (31 teachers). The outcome of this phase of the study was 27 strategies to improve the physical environment of classes. Results showed that all respondents agree that these strategies include: repeat and practice of the teaching procedure (two or three times orally) ; more practical training, putting disabled students beside students of the border, assignment of students to small practical projects meant to be fully accomplished. It seems that, before starting any teaching course, the agriculture teacher must comprehend the field of exceptional teaching and understand the needs of students with special needs in order to be able of providing proper feedbacks and a good strategy. The second phase was conducted a survey study. The population consisted of 80 horticultural teachers in Special Education Organization of Iran. According to finding, 34.8% of gardening education teachers evaluated their strategies at a very high level, 45.5% at a high level, and 19.7% at a moderate level. In addition, comprehension of the classrooms’ physical environment improvement strategies by the teachers brings about long-term consistency of agricultural teaching programs in exceptional schools.