مهدی نوری پور

Today, climate change has negative effects on access to water and as a result, serious restrictions occur on food production in many regions of the world. However, such effects are not well understood. Therefore, this research aimed at investigating these questions: “Is changing the cultivation pattern a suitable solution to adapt to the water shortage situation?” and “What obstacles stand in the way of farmers to change cultivation?”.

Methods and Materials: 

To answer these questions, a number of highly informed farmers with more than 15 years of experience were interviewed through 16 in-depth interviews as well as a purposeful snowball sampling method was applied. 

According to study results, 11 effective factors in changing the cultivation pattern within three dimensions of economic factors (three categories), human-environmental factors (five categories) and natural-climatic factors (three categories), 10 obstacles to change the cultivation pattern within two dimensions of economic obstacles (5 categories) and environmental obstacles (5 categories) and 17 consequences of changing the cultivation pattern within three dimensions of economic consequences (7 categories), environmental consequences (4 categories) and social consequences (6 categories) were identified.

Conclusion and Suggestions: 

Among the identified effective factors, obstacles and consequences, drought and lack of water resources and low yield of crops as the most important effective factors in changing the cultivation pattern, low level of awareness of farmers and high risk as the most important obstacles to changing the cultivation pattern and replacing the crop suitable for the climate of the region and high yield as the most important consequence of changing the cultivation pattern were identified for Margoun County of Iran. Therefore, policy makers should develop educational programs and courses according to the needs of local communities regarding the changes in cultivation pattern in order to raise the awareness of farmers.

This study was implemented to identify the economic, social, and environmental consequences of changing cultivation patterns on low-yield steep lands to rainfed gardens in Kabgian District of Boyer Ahmad County. Drawing upon expert opinion at the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province, a causal-comparative study was conducted using156 individual stakeholders (72 as project pros and 84 as cons) as a sample population at two points in time (before and after project implementation). Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The results showed that cost, production, job creation, financial power and assets, sales market, support, competition, investment, income level, and bank facilities explained 70.77% of the total variance of the project's economic consequences while migration, job desirability, knowledge and experience requirements, participation, belongingness to the village, satisfaction with local institutions, project awareness, support, and conflicts explained 75.5% of the variance of the project's social consequences. The quality of the environment, living standards in the village, changes in species, and household consumption levels explained 68.83% of the variance of the project's total environmental consequences. Generally speaking, the results indicated a more favorable situation to the project pros than to the cons in terms of economic, social, and environmental consequences. In addition, the post-project economic, social, and environmental status of the project pros was evaluated as more desirable than before changing the cultivation pattern. Overall, the findings showed that changing the cultivation pattern at the village level led to improvements in the stakeholders’ economic, social, and environmental conditions. Furthermore, the results revealed that the stakeholders with higher income levels were more likely to accept the project.

This study aimed to model and analyze the behavior of villagers in the Dasht-Room district regarding the conservation and exploitation of edible-medicinal plants, utilizing the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and a descriptive correlation method. The statistical population included rural households in villages with at least 20 households in the Dasht-Room district (2807 households). Using Bartlett et al.'s sampling table, 119 households constituted the statistical sample. The data collection tool was a researcher-created questionnaire based on the PMT variables, which was validated by a panel of experts. To measure the reliability of the questionnaire, a pilot study was conducted outside the study site, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.62-0.87) was calculated. The resulting coefficients indicated satisfactory reliability of the questionnaire. After data collection, the data were entered into SPSS21 software and analyzed using descriptive and inferential tests. The results showed that conservation behavior is moderate among the samples studied. The PMT variables are also significantly related to conservation behavior. In this regard, behavioral intention and self-efficacy had the strongest correlation. Based on hierarchical regression analysis, the mentioned variables effectively and significantly contributed to explaining the variance in conservation behavior. A path analysis indicated that “behavioral intention,” “perceived severity,” “response cost,” and “self-efficacy” had the greatest impact on conservation behavior. Emphasizing that protecting the environment is a shared responsibility, it is advised to use radio and television to promote the growth of medicinal plants suitable for each region's climate and to offer free seeds to those who request them.

Over recent years, the accurate measurement and analysis of efficiency, along with the utilization of innovative technologies in the agricultural sector and its effect on total factor productivity in this sector has been taken into account by different researchers. Considering the significant potential of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province of Iran in the agricultural field, investigating the productivity growth and efficiency of production factors in this sector can contribute to improving the economic situation and employment in the province.

This study mainly aimed at investigating the productivity growth and efficiency of production factors using the non-parametric method, data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist productivity index to calculate productivity growth in the agricultural sector of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province. For this purpose, the utilized data consisted of production factors in the agricultural sector of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province (including facility balance, labor, seeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides), which were extracted from agricultural statistics and production cost reports of various years obtained from the Ministry of Agriculture-Jahad (MAJ). The data analysis was conducted using the statistical software DEAP2.1.

The study results indicated that technological changes had the greatest effect on agricultural productivity, and enhanced technology and input management productivity could contribute to improving agricultural productivity. In addition, the study findings showed that the optimal use of various inputs in agriculture was efficient in some years and inefficient in others. This inefficiency might be due to the lack of selecting an appropriate combination of data and parameters.Conclusion and Suggestions: Based on the results, it is suggested that there should be focused on technological innovations in agriculture, improving management processes as well as increasing awareness and training of farmers to enhance the productivity growth and agricultural development in the concerned province. In addition, the results of the productivity table using the Malmquist index showed how much productivity changes in the agricultural sector were caused by technical changes and efficiency changes in each year; and all the changes in productivity over the 15-year period were due to the technological changes. Therefore, it is suggested that the agricultural sector should fundamentally review the type, implementation and costing of research as well as how to transfer the findings to the agricultural sector so that in addition to increasing the technological changes, the technical efficiency will increase.

Nowadays, general agricultural policies are moving towards sustainable agriculture, and this is despite the fact that countries suffer from a big problem called drought and climate change, especially in the field of this important economic sector. Accordingly, the correct understanding of the comprehensive conditions for growing an agricultural product is one of the significant principles of sustainable agriculture, and in this regard, general policies should be changed from cultivating water-intensive crops to less water-consuming ones. Therefore, according to the current programs, one of the policies considered for the region studied in this research, Lanjan County, located in the southwest of Isfahan province, was the change of cultivation from rice to beans, this research aimed at studying the feasibility of changing from rice to beans. The statistical population of the research included experts from the Agricultural Jihad Organization, experts from the farmers' trade union system (N=50) and rice farmers of Lanjan County (N=270). The sample size was determined by applying Cochran's formula based on which 40 experts and 130 farmers were selected randomly for the study. Data were collected by a questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS software. The results of the single-sample t-test showed that from the farmers' point of view, the average of production factors (3.33), management (3.35) and attitude (3.44) and from the experts' point of view, the average of most factors including relative advantage (3.37), timing (3.56), production (3.60), attitude (3.74), management (3.46) and background (3.44), obtained significantly higher than the average (3) and therefore higher than optimal. In this regard, the conditions for changing cultivation from rice to beans were evaluated as favorable. Therefore, based on the findings of the research, from the respondents' point of view, it is possible to change cultivation from rice to beans. Finally, some suggestions such as the guaranteed purchase of bean products by the government to provide the market and reduce the price fluctuation of bean products were presented.

Saffron is a permanent plant and one of the products of the eastern part of Iran, its onion can grow between 5 and 7 years, and this causes a change in the characteristics of the soil, which is very suitable for the environment. On the other hand, due to its high economic efficiency, in recent years, many activities have been carried out by relevant organizations such as Agriculture Jihad Organization (AJO) to promote its cultivation in cultivable areas. However, despite this planning and promotional activities, its cultivation has not yet been welcomed in some areas. Based on this, the purpose of this study was to explain the effects of saffron cultivation in the Mukhtar region of Boyerahmad County located in southwestern of Iran.

The purpose of this research was to explain the effects of saffron cultivation in the Mukhtar region of Boyerahmad County, for this purpose, a causal- comparative research method was used. With consultation from relevant experts, including the Provincial Agricultural Jihad Organization, the Agricultural Jihad Service Center of Southern Sarroud area, two villages named Mukhtar and Firouzabad, chosen as the villages accepted and non-accepted saffron cultivation respectively. After that, according to Kerjcie and Morgan's sampling table, 235 households were selected as a research sample, and then simple random sampling with proportional assignment were used to determine the study participants. To collect the data, a researcher- constructed questionnaire was used, and to determine the validity of the different parts of the questionnaire, the face validity method with the opinion of the relevant experts and previous research, as well as successive corrections and revisions were used. Finally, to determine the reliability of the Likert scale, Cronbach's alpha was used. Cronbach's alpha coefficient scores indicated the optimality of the questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques such as mean, standard deviation, paired t-test, independent t-test and covariance analysis were used to analyze quantitative data and test hypotheses. Data processing was done using SPSS software version 21 in the Windows environment.

Overall, the findings of the research showed positive economic, social and environmental effects of saffron cultivation in Mukhtar village (accepting saffron cultivation) compared to Firouzabad village (not accepting saffron cultivation). In order to be almost sure that these improvements in Mukhtar village were due to the cultivation of saffron cropping, covariance analysis was used. According to the obtained results, it can be stated that the increase and improvement in development status of the study area (including economic, social and environmental aspects) in the village accepting saffron cultivation compared to the village not accepting saffron cultivation, was the result of cultivation of the mentioned product. Other findings of the research showed that the economic effects have improved by 36% through factors such as increasing the amount of savings, more suitable sales of the product than the past, reducing the cost of planting the product, etc. Also, the social effects have improved by 41% in terms of factors such as satisfaction and welcome of buyers, creation of cooperatives, active participation in training classes, etc. In addition to these, environmental effects, through factors such as less use of fertilizers and chemical poisons, less use of underground water, etc., as a result of saffron cultivation, there has been a 23% improvement and development in the region.

In general, and according to the results of the research, the cultivation of saffron in the studied area has improved the development of the total effects about 30%. Also, the results showed that the greatest effect of saffron cultivation was in the social scope and the least effect was in the environmental scope.

Drought is one of the most important climate hazards that has social, economic and environmental effects. This phenomenon is a great threat to agriculture and development. Droughts occur every year in some parts of Iran and cause a lot of damage. As a result of the recent droughts, according to estimates, in Boyer Ahmad county, the area under water wheat cultivation in 2019 compared to 2012 has decreased by about 26%. Therefore, addressing the issue of drought seems inevitable. The purpose of this research is to know the effects of agricultural drought in the rural areas of Kabgian district of Boyer Ahmad county. The sample size was selected based on Bartlett's table of 180 people and data analysis was done by content analysis method and SPSS software and by factor analysis method. The results show that the factors of economic resilience, social resilience and infrastructural-management were identified as the most important and main factors of the economic, social and environmental effects of drought, respectively. The construction of small dams and floodgate is the main infrastructure factor in the opinion of the farmers of the study area to reduce the consequences of drought.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors affecting the success of nomadic women’s micro-credit funds in Fars province. This research used a quantitative approach which was conducted using a survey method. The data were obtained via a questionnaire from 331 nomadic women being member of micro-credit funds in Fars province. These women were sampled using Cochran's formula and a stratified sampling approach with proportional assignment. Face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by the specialists of rural development and agricultural extension of Yasouj University. Reliability of the research tool was confirmed by conducting a pre-test study and calculating Cronbach's alpha indices (0.712 to 0.911). The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship at the level of 1% between economic, socio-cultural, psychological, supportive and educational factors and “the success of nomadic women’s micro-credit funds as the dependent variable. Moreover, the success of nomadic women’s micro-credit funds can be attributed to the socio-cultural, psychological, economic, educational and membership constructs of the fund, which in balance could explain 79.6% of the variance of the success of nomadic women’s micro-credit funds. According to the results, in order to promote the success of the micro-credit funds, it is recommended to be held some classes and training courses on introducing income-generating and sustainable businesses. In addition, increasing low-interest loans and identifying donors and guiding them to invest in the funds are further solutions for improving the performance of micro-credit funds.

The current research conducted with the aim of identifying the effective structures on the success of nomadic cooperatives in Fars province. This research used a quantitative approach, which conducted using a survey method. The data obtained via a questionnaire from 380 nomadic cooperatives members in Fars province, who selected using Krejcie and Morgan table with proportional assignment. The results showed that the relationships between internal factors such as relationship between socio-cultural, economic and management structures as well as external factors i.e. socio-cultural, economic, policy and educational structures with the success of nomadic cooperatives was positive and significant at 1% level. In addition, the results of multiple regression in a step-by-step method showed that internal factors such as economic, socio-cultural, educational and managerial structures as well as external economic, political and socio-cultural structures totaled 79.1% of the changes in the dependent variable. Therefore, internal and external factors are effective and have a role in the activities of cooperative companies, which directly and indirectly influence the way cooperatives operate. According to the results, for nomadic cooperatives to be more successful, holding empowerment meetings and workshops related to the principles and goals of the cooperative and the duties of the members and the board of directors recommended. Moreover, providing suitable and easily accessible banking facilities and communicating with other cooperatives by holding meetings to introduce the best cooperatives in the field of production, marketing, and performance, high profitability and waste reduction are also recommended.

In Iran, about half of municipal waste is made up of organic matter, while indeed only 12% of the organic waste produced in the country is composted.  Therefore, the aim was to investigate the factors affecting the willingness to pay (WTP) for home composting and how much WTP for home composting. The statistical population consisted of the citizens of Isfahan city, Cochran formula estimated 367 households as a sample then they are selected by random sampling. The results showed that 143 respondents were reluctant to pay and did not want to accept it. Also, the results showed that lack of facilities and equipment, lack of knowledge, time consuming and user, and lack of adequate space were the most important deterrents. According to the results, the willingness to pay for the production of home compost was estimated at 112 thousand Tomans per year. The variables that influenced the WTP include age, household size, and type of house. Based on the results, In order to strengthen and stimulate proper environmental behaviors and help citizens interested in producing home compost recommended that a special bin donates to them by the municipality.

Given the importance of land consolidation plans in the development and improvement of agricultural status in terms of increasing agricultural production, improving income levels of farmers, and production cooperatives formation, it is necessary to identify barriers and obstacles to implement this plans and to remove them. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the barriers and obstacles of land consolidation and production cooperatives formation in rural areas of Zarghan County. The study population was Zarghan regional farmers located in Fars province that 38 of them were selected by purposeful and snowball sampling. Research data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding with the help of MAXQDA software and classified into four main barriers. These include agricultural barriers, administrative barriers, economic barriers, and socio-cultural barriers. Finally, according to the results, suggestions were made to develop this project.

The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the effects of targeted subsidies in the agricultural sector of Choram County located in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces. The statistical population of the study was 2528 farmers in the central part of Choram County. The approach in this study was integrated (qualitative-quantitative). In the qualitative section, data were first collected through in-depth interviews with informed farmers. Data analysis technique in this section, content analysis and the studied sample were selected using purposive sampling until reaching theoretical saturation of 39 people. In the quantitative part of the research, in order to obtain a more comprehensive view of the subsidy targeting plan in the agricultural sector and to understand its effects, secondary data were collected before and after the subsidy targeting. Data analysis in this section was performed with SPSS software. The results of content analysis in the form of three stages of open, axial and selective coding showed that five categories of factors (increase in production costs of agricultural products, increase in economic costs of farmers, decrease in quality of life of farmers, Optimization in the consumption of energy carriers and reduction of environmental pollution) has been of the most important effects of targeted subsidies. The results comparison mean level under cultivation and the yield of agricultural products before and after the targeting of subsidies also showed that level under the cultivation of tomato and green cucumber after targeting subsidies was significantly higher than before and the level under cultivation of rice and wheat crops has decreased, also tomato, rain fed barley and watermelon yielded significantly more than before, while in other products there was no significant statistical difference between the level under the cultivation and yield. Therefore, according to the results of the research, the plan to target agricultural subsidies has not had the desired effect on the agricultural sector. Therefore, it is suggested that the relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Jihad for Agriculture and the organizations sponsoring pricing, put on the agenda the mechanisms needed to reduce the prices of production inputs and energy carriers.

Due to the limited fertile land in the country, increasing population growth and increasing demand for food, land consolidation and crop integration are essential for more efficient use of fertile land. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate factors affecting the adoption of land leveling and land consolidation plans in Zarghan district of Fars province. The study was conducted through survey and proportional stratified random sampling. Required information was collected from 72 adopters and 118 non-adopters land leveling and consolidation plans. Data were collected using a questionnaire whose face validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was estimated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for different parts of the questionnaire (from 0.82 to 0.86). Data were analyzed using SPSSv23 software. The results showed that the most important differences between adopters and non-adopters of land leveling and consolidation plan were age, literacy level, agricultural precedent, number of farm plots, distance to service center, use of communication-information factors, technical-extension services, participation in rural institutions, access to credit, land insurance coverage, size of land owned, agricultural income, production performance. Other findings of the study also indicated that the discriminant analysis function could accurately classify adopters leveling and land consolidation farmers as non-adopters. From the total variables entered the model, variables named participation in institutions, use of communication-information factors, agricultural income, area under cultivation, amount of land owned, distance to service center, land insurance coverage are the most important distinguishing variables of two adopter and non-adopter groups of land leveling and consolidation plans.

The qualitative expansion of the higher education system, regardless of quality development, will have inappropriate outcomes. Therefore, the present study was conducted to assess the quality of academic services at Yasouj University using the SERVQUAL model. The statistical population consisted of 508 senior undergraduates at Yasouj University in 2018-2019. According to the Krejcie and Morgan formula, 220 individuals were selected as the sample through stratified random sampling in terms of their field of study. Data were collected through a two-part questionnaire including students' perceptions and expectations about the quality of educational, research, and welfare services. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by using the opinions of the relevant field experts after revising, and its reliability was estimated by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The results showed that students had the lowest and highest satisfaction with the current status in terms of welfare services and educational services, respectively. Also, the greatest service gap was in welfare, research, and educational services, respectively. The results of the means comparison test revealed that the students' expectations of educational, research, and welfare services were significantly higher than their perceptions. Therefore, better provision of educational, research, and welfare services should be taken into consideration by the relevant authorities.

Agriculture is the most important sector in the supply of food products. Since farmers are using new technologies to produce more products, they cause harmful effects on the environment. In this regard, the important factor is the effect that environmental knowledge has on improving environmental behaviours of any person. Therefore, the present study was conducted to analyse factors affect wheat farmers' environmental knowledge. The statistical population of the research was 380 wheat farmers in the central district of Kohgiluyeh County which based on Morgan table, 181 farmers were selected as samples using random sampling. The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through subject matter specialists. The Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.56 to 0.83, indicating an appropriate reliability of the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS21 software. The findings of the research showed that wheat farmers do not have appropriate environmental knowledge. Variables including non-farm income, adherence to the custom, participation in educational-extensional courses, membership, wheat cultivation experience and education were the most important determinants of their environmental knowledge.

Changes in land use is an approach that is considered all around the world recently. This approach has been considered in some parts of the country especially western areas of Mazandaran Province, and due to its nature, it may cause some threats or benefits. Thus, the objective of this research was economic evaluation of converting rice paddies into citrus orchards. Quantitative data gathering techniques using questionnaire and interview was used to gather data. Research population included orchardists and rice growers of Northern Roudpey of Sari County that about 80 ones of them were selected as research sample using Brtlet Sampling Table. Net present value and benefit- cost ratio techniques were used for economic evaluation of the supposed agricultural activities. The results showed that both of them have economic justification, but the citrus orchards are more profitable. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is recommended to convert rice paddies to citrus orchards of course in a gradual process and with precision administration and control of related organizations such as Jihad-e-Agriculture.

Today, success in water and soil management and conservation programs to reduce soil erosion is one of the top priorities of all countries, including Iran and one of the prominent examples in this area is the use of conservation agriculture with the aim of achieving sustainable development and production and sustainable management of water and soil resources. The purpose of this study, was to spatial ranking and Leveling of selected wheat cultivation villages in southern Kerman based on conservation agriculture Approach. The research method was a descriptive-analytical study which was conducted using survey method. The statistical population consisted of wheat farmers in rural areas of southern Kerman. The sample size was estimated about 327 farmers using the Krejcie and Morgan table. The sampling method was proportional stratified random sampling method. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The results of ranking the villages using VIKOR technique showed that HeydarAbad Chahsokhteh and Abass abad Tarh Ahrar with the coefficient scores of 0.004 and 0.018 ranked first and second, respectively, Furthermore, “Ferdoos” ranked the last by obtaining the coefficient scores of 0.994. Moreover, the results of spatial classification showed the existence of disparity and inequality between the studied villages at different levels. The results also revealed that 52.8% of rural areas were in the category of "favorable and desirable", 36.1% were in the category of "half-eaten", and 11.1% were in "deprived or undesirable" category. Eventually, due to the fact that 52.8% of rural areas were in the category of "favorable and desirable", it can be concluded that the studied rural areas were in a favorable position in terms of conservation agriculture.

The aim of this research was to compare the relationship between personality type and job burnout of agricultural extension staff in Zahedan and Khash Counties. According to the Krejcie and Morgan sampling table, 166 agricultural extension agents were selected as sample. The sampling technique was stratified random sampling. To collect data, standard questionnaires of Maslach's Burnout and five-factor Costa and McCrae personality factors were used. The findings showed that respondents in both studied cities had a statistically significant job burnout. One-sample t-test showed that respondents were conscientious, incompatible, unacceptance about experiences and emotional instable. Also, burnout rate of respondents in Khash County was higher than Zahedan County. Regression results showed that neuroticism, incompatibility, conscientiousness and receptivity were able to explain 62.1% of the variance of job burnout in Zahedan employees. The variables of incompatibility, conscientiousness, and receptivity could account for 60.1% of the change in the variance of burnout of employees. In addition, the most important factor affecting burnout was conscientiousness.

Understanding learning styles of students is really useful in selecting appropriate teaching styles, design of educational environment, developing educational equipment and so on. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate learning styles of high school students in rural areas of Koohrang County. A survey research method was used for this purpose. Research population included high school students in rural areas of Koohrang County (N= 1437) that about 305 ones selected as research sample using Kerjcie and Moorgan Sampling Table and Stratified Random Sampling Technique. Also, the analysis of variances (ANOVA) and Chi Square tests were used to analyze data. The results showed that the supposed students had Divergent (28%), Accommodating (26.9%), Convergent (24.59%) and Assimilating (20.32%) learning styles respectively. The other results of this study showed that the average score for the educational achievement of students was different and statistically significant between these four groups, so that students with convergent learning style had the maximum and those with divergent learning style had the minimum educational achievements. Furthermore, significant relationships were observed between students' learning styles and their sex and major.

Having a healthy lifestyle is a prerequisite for achieving sustainable development. Moreover, social capital is one of the important variables affecting the health of individuals in society. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between social capital and health-related quality of life among rural people in Dena region located in southwest of Iran. 300 households were selected using multistage cluster sampling method. For data collection, SF-36 standard questionnaire was used to measure health-related quality of life. A research made questionnaire was also applied in order to examine social capital which its validity and reliability were confirmed. The correlation coefficients between both physical health and mental health and 5 dimensions of social capital was positive. Furthermore, the correlation between mental health and social trust and social networks was significant; moreover, the correlation coefficient between mental health and social cohesion was significant. However, the correlation between mental health and social norm and social participation was not significant. Considering a relationship between mental health and social trust as well as social networks and social cohesion, enhancement of the above dimensions should be taken into account in order to improve mental health.

Drought is a recurrent socio-natural hazard that increases its magnitude due to climate change. The main objective of this study was to identify farmers' perceptions of drought and their stratagems for dealing with this weather change event. For this purpose, 250 farmers in the Mohr county, south of Fars province, were selected by stratified random sampling and were interviewed using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by agricultural extension and development experts, and their reliability was confirmed by pilot study and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the perception of drought can be attributed to four factors, namely experience, memory, expectation and definition, which in totally these factors explain more than 71 percent of the variance of drought perception. Another finding of this study indicated that farmers have used various strategies such as farm production management, water demand management, financial management, production technology management, water supply management, soil management and reactive management to deal with this climatic event. Moreover, the relationship between drought perception and dealing strategies was positive and significant. In addition, the results of ANOVA test showed that perceptual clusters had a significant difference in terms of dealing strategies; So that farmers with a high level of perception (third cluster), in comparison with other groups, had a higher mean in this regard. The results of this study can be effective to understanding the social aspects of agricultural societies and planning for public and private adaptation/mitigation strategies to drought.

Planning of development programs either at macro or at micro levels, needs to obtain a proper understanding about the differences between rural areas in terms of their infrastructure, social, economic and environmental aspects; so that this understanding can contributed to policymakers and decision-makers the ability to recognize abilities, differences and deprivations of rural areas in order to organize a balanced development in the supposed areas. Therefore, the aim of this research was to assess the level of development of rural areas of central district of Falavarjan County. A survey research method was used in this study. Research population included villages with 20 and more households (26 villages) that about 376 household of these villages were selected as research sample based on Cochran Sampling. A researcher constructed questionnaire and secondary data taken from the village ID in 2010 was used to collect data that its face validity procedure was verified by faculty members of the Rural Development Management Department of Yasouj University and its reliability was also verified calculating Cronbach's Alpha reliability (0.65 ≤∝≤ 0.95). In order to assess and prioritization rural development, 24 indices in four dimensions were used: social-cultural, economic, environmental and physical-infrastructure. In order to analyze the data, the raw data were normalized and then using Artificial-Neural Network (ANN) of multi-layer feed-forward back-propagation, weight of each rural development index was obtained, respectively. Data processing was done using MATLABR2015a and SPSS22 software. The results showed that Jojil, Jowlorestan and Zefreh ranked first to third respectively and Mehrenjan Atrak and Mehrenjan ranked last in terms of rural development. The overall results of this study showed that the rural development is in a relatively favorable situation in the studied villages.

Nowadays, the place of production of medicinal plants in the health of the community and the value of medicinal and aromatic plants are not covered by anyone. Forestry, pasture and medicinal and industrial plants not only have a particular role in the domestic economy, but also have a significant impact on non-oil exports. It is important to note that Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province has a diverse and appropriate climate that can be one of the most capable areas for the cultivation and production of medicinal plants. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating and identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of the cultivation and production of medicinal plants in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province. SWOT method was used for this purpose and finally, using SWOT matrix, strategies were provided to improve the development conditions of this industry.More detailed findings especially about the supposed strategies are presented in the body of the paper

This survey research was carried out to investigate the effects of tourism development on rural areas of central District of Boyer-Ahmad Township. The research population included 1,180 rural households from two groups of villages including with and without tourists. According to the Krejcie and Morgan Table, two hundred ninety eighty rural households were determined as the sample size. The samples were selected using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. The data were collected by a researcher made questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was also confirmed by calculating the Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient. The results of comparing the situations of the two supposed groups five years ago (before the tourism boom) showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups (with and without tourism) in terms of the social and the capital attention to local customs, the tendency to live in a village, occupation and environmental awareness in which they have had higher mean score in villages with tourists. Moreover, comparing the current situation of these groups showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups, with and without tourists in terms of social offences and environmental awareness in such a way that tourism had a negative effect in terms of social factors and it led to increased social offences and it had a positive effect on environmental factors such as increasing environmental awareness of rural households. Furthermore, tourism had no considerable effect on rural areas in terms of economic and infrastructural factors.