nasrin ohadi

In recent decades, along with other factors of production, energy has played a decisive role in the economic growth of countries. But high levels of energy intensity have negative effects on the environment. Therefore, attention to energy efficiency and optimization discussion shows its importance. The aim of this study is investigate the efficiency and optimization of energy consumption of dryland wheat in Khoy under uncertainty. The data used in this study was collected through a face to-face questionnaire method with 192 dry land wheat farmer in year 2019. The results showed that the total input energy is 20137.06 MJ h-1, the highest amount is related to the diesel-fuel (58.12%), seeds (15.40%) and machinery (14.15%), respectively. The total energy output was 47966.42 MJ h-1 and energy efficiency indicators for the constant returns to scale and variable returns to scale model are 5.6 and 2.5, respectively. By applying these parameters, the total optimum energy for the models presented were calculated 8565.3 and 18726.47 MJ h-1, respectively. It means that we can reduced 53.7% and 7% energy consumption in the production of this product. In the region under study, wheat production is mainly related to non-renewable resources (83%), which it is a serious risk to human health and environmental pollution. For example, at a level of conservatism of 7 (Γ = 7) in the CRS model, 57.3% of total energy consumption and 64.8% of fuel consumption can be reduced, which indicates the inefficiency of farmers. Therefore, the use of mechanized equipment to reduce fuel consumption and reduce the applying of labor for threshing is recommended.

Water and wastewater companies play a vital role in society as providers of drinking water services. Therefore, measuring the efficiency of these companies is an action that can help in the optimal allocation of water distribution among customers. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of water and sewage companies in Markazi province. For this purpose, the interval fuzzy data envelopment analysis method was used. The basic premise of this method, unlike the traditional method of data envelopment analysis, is uncertainty about inputs and outputs. Given that uncertainties in the real world are inevitable, the need to use models that have the ability to control this uncertainty is strongly felt. Hence, a successful method is to use fuzzy data envelopment analysis method. The results of evaluation related to seventeen water and wastewater companies in Markazi province showed that Arak, Khomein, Delijan, Saveh, Komeijan, Mamooniyeh, Mahallat and Naragh by obtaining the efficiency range (0.83, 1),  have the highest level of technical efficiency. In addition, among the units under study, Ghargabad Water and Wastewater Company has the lowest level of technical efficiency with an efficiency range of (0.56, 0.46). There is also an excess of consumption over the research findings in the use of all inputs. Therefore, it was suggested that with the correct and optimal use of production inputs and less use of resources, the amount of efficiency can be improved to reach the efficiency frontier.

Existence of appropriate business environment and need assessment of factors affecting it to improve national production process and creating new economic capacities is undeniable. The purpose of this study is measuring and ranking the easiness of efficiency of business in upward middle-income countries over a four-year period (2017-2020). For this purpose, 63 middle-income countries were evaluated with fuzzy dynamic multi-objective data envelopment analysis techniques in 10 areas of starting a business, obtaining construction license, cost of energy(electricity), registered property, obtaining credit, protecting minority Investors, paying taxes, cross-border trade, enforcing contracts and bankruptcy. The results showed that there is great potential for increasing efficiency and productivity in all inputs, the success of doing business in different countries is largely influenced by factors such as starting a business, cross-border trading, receiving electricity and supporting minority investors. Guatemala has been ranked one as the best performance in ease of businesses in 2019 and 2020, according to research findings while Iceland's has the worst rankings in 2018 and 2019, and Iran ranked 51st, following an improving trend in 2020 with 29 steps down

In this study, the rice energy efficiency in Golestan was investigated using interval fuzzy (triangular) data envelopment analysis model at different alpha levels in the year 2016-2017. The data required were collected using interviews and completing questionnaire from 286 rice farmers in Golestan province who were selected using simple random sampling. The results showed that at the level of α= 0.25 could be reduce the amount of input energy to 37.99% in upper bound and 1.83 in lower bound without any effect on the output energy (yield). Also, the results showed that at the level α =1 (certainty conditions) two inputs, irrigation water and chemical fertilizer with 33% and 31.2% respectively, and among the types of input energies, non-renewable energies (energy of machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and fossil fuels) with 60% (24117.7 MJ / ha) had the largest share in the production of this product. The use of new technologies in the use of water input such as installing smart meters on various pumps, reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizer by promoting the use of organic fertilizers and proper training in the use of inorganic fertilizers helps a lot to reduce energy consumption in these high-consumption inputs.

The purpose of this study was determination of technical efficiency for Sirjan dairy farms using fuzzy data envelopment analysis approach. The underlying assumption of this method unlike conventional data envelopment analysis approach is that input and output data have imprecise. Since activities of agricultural and animal husbandry is done under environmental uncertainty conditions there is uncertainty about inputs and outputs. Therefore employing fuzzy data envelopment analysis is preferred into conventional data envelopment analysis. Necessary information for this study was collected through filling questionnaires for the years 2017 from 32 units of dairy farms in Sirjan. The result showed that the average technical for dairy farms was 81 percent. It has undulate from at least 36% up most 100%. In the other words, can increase amount of efficiency without changing the level of technology and better use of current technology. Also the gap between the best and the worst producer was 64% that can be improved by increasing technical and managerial knowledge, more promotion and new sciences and techniques among the dairy farms of the region.

The purpose of this study is investigation unit root and structural break for export value of pistachio, raisin and dates from employing annual time series data(1974-2014).The first step in this study is using the traditional unit root tests Because of traditional unit root tests may incorrectly indicate that there is a unit root in a series, we use Zivot-Andrews (1992) methodology and Lumsdaine & Papell (1997) methodology that to make robust conclusions about the time series properties of data. The results of traditional unit root test provide no evidence against the uni troot null hypothesis in all variables under study. For indicate the unit root test with existence of structural break from Zivot-Andrews (1992) methodology and Lumsdaine & Papell (1997) methodology are used. The Results from the ZA test and LP test indicate that respectively one and two out of the tree variables under investigation became stationary.Based on from results, exchange rate is the most influential factors in determining date of structural break.

Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a powerful technique for measuring efficiency. The traditional DEA approach is applicable when inputs and outputs are certain. Since, some input and output data, such as CO2 emission are often imprecise or vague in real world, this approach cannot be used efficiently. Therefore, this study uses the fuzzy data envelopment analysis to measure carbon-environmental efficiency. The results show that the average interval carbon-environmental efficiency is 75.90 percent in the sample and period under study. In addition, the minimum and maximum carbon- environmental efficiency scores in Iran are 61 and 74 percent, respectively, which indicates low environmental efficiency in Iran compared to other countries.  Accordingly, using inputs optimally and lowering dependency on resources are recommended for increasing the carbon-environmental efficiency.

Today, environmental protection is one of the most important concerns throughout the world. In this regard, the measurement of environmental efficiency has emerged as an important issue. The main objective of this paper is to measure environmental efficiency for Iran and developing oil-rich countries using the Data Envelopment Analysis in 2014. This paper considers undesirable outputs and the Shapley value for cooperative game theory. Since the classical Data Envelopment Analysis is not able to distinguish between efficient units, environmental efficiency is ranked based on combination of Data Envelopment Analysis with cross efficiency model and cooperative game theory. The results show that Iran’s efficiency score is 0.42. Thus, Iran ranks the eighth among the nine selected countries. In addition, the results show that the difference between optimal and actual consumption levels of inputs varies from 37% to 51%, so that, the greatest difference is relevant to labor and renewable energy, respectively. The study suggests a modification in the structure of important inputs

Nowadays, economic growth is one of the most prominent objectives of most economic policies, but an objective which usually results in environmental degradation. Economic growth and development require the use of energy as one of the most important inputs of production, and inaccessibility of affordable and reliable energy sources has frequently led to economic and social retrogression in many parts of the world. The main objective of this paper is to measure energy-environmental efficiency for Iran and oil-rich countries using the Data Envelopment Analysis method with undesirable outputs and to investigate factors affecting it using the panel Tobit regression method. The results show that Iran’s average energy-environmental efficiency under constant and variable returns to scale are 50 and 54 percent, respectively. This means that it has the lowest energy-environmental efficiency compared 
to other studied countries. Also, there is a significant and negative relationship between the use of fossil fuels and population with energy-environmental efficiency, whereas there is a significant and positive relationship between the extent of trade openness and energy-environmental efficiency. Accordingly, this study proposes some executive strategy and recommendations for increasing energy-environmental efficiency

The main objective of this paper was to determine technical efficiency by using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) methods and also to estimate the influence of applied inputs on the production risk among Zabol dairy farms. To this aim, data were collected by questionnaire for the years 2012-2013. The results showed that the mean technical efficiency of dairy farms was 0.74 percent as revealed by the SFA method and were 0.55 and 0.63 as suggested by the DEA method under constant return to scale (CRS) and variable return to scale (VRS) assumptions, respectively. In addition, there was a direct and significant relationship between the used bran, number of cattle, and the amount of output. The estimation of technical inefficiency showed that there was a negative and significant relationship between dairy farmers’ age and membership in cooperatives with technical inefficiency. The results of production function risk showed that participation in training classes reduced production risk, whereas membership in cooperatives increased production risk. The study carried the implication that training of the optimal use of inputs and application of proper management could improve the efficiency of dairy farms.

Supply of credits to farmers seems necessary because of the importance of credits in order to assurance the efficiency of production process. The purpose of this study is identification factors affecting on credits allocation to agricultural activities and factors affecting on probability failure to repay of credits received .For this study, 196 farmers and customers who have received loans from the Agricultural Bank were randomly selected. Statistics and necessary information were collected by questionnaires and investigation of customers file for the years 2010 -2013.For identification factors affecting on credits allocated to the agricultural activities was used fromTobit model. Based on this model, ,there was a direct and significant relation at level of confidence 95 percent among variables of age, educational levels, experience, annual income from non-agricultural activities , amount of credits received and credits allocated to agricultural activities .While, there was a inverse and significant relation among varible of family size and credits allocated to agricultural activities Also, probability failure to repay of credits received modeling was done using Logit Multinomial model. In this model,there was a inverse and significant relation at level of confidence 95 percent among varibles of age, educational levels, value of the assets ,monthly income of the applicant and probability failure to repay of credits and varible of gender had a direct and significant relation with probability failure to repay of credits. Based on the results of this study suggestions were presented.

With regard to the role of agricultural production cooperatives are in improving the system of interest-taking, increased income, employment, provision of basic necessities and equal distribution facilities, necessary to the function of these companies be carefully evaluated. Therefore, the present study aimed at identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats agricultural production cooperatives have been done. Method of study is descriptive-survey. Data from questionnaires and interviews collected in 2013. The data were analyzed using the SWOT matrix. According to the results, 9 strengths against 15 internal weaknesses and 17 external opportunities against 7 external threats identify and investigate. A total of 26 strengths and opportunities as advantage and 22 weaknesses and threats as constraint and bottleneck agricultural production cooperatives are facing. Therefore success threshold of cooperative was high and the provision of appropriate strategies and use of strengths and opportunities in order to overcome the weaknesses and threats can be added to the success of cooperatives

Iran isone of the main pistachiogrowersinthe world. Kerman province is the largest grower of pistachio and Sirjan is one of the most important pistachio production areas of Kerman province. It is important to the study of efficiency status of pistachio growers and improvetheir efficiency and optimum use of resources in the production. The purpose of this study was to determinationtechnical efficiency,allocative efficiency, economic efficiency, managerial efficiency and scale efficiency of pistachio growers. 197 pistachio farmers were randomly selected as sampls. Necessary information getting from the questionnaires was filled out for the years 2011 and 2012. Efficiency of pistachio growers was calculated using Data Envelopment Analysis Method (DEA). Theresults show the 47% average technical efficiency, 69% average managerial efficiency, 67% average scale efficiency, 24% average allocative efficiency and 12 average economic efficiency. With education and agricultural extension in order tothe optimal use of inputs, reducing the consumption of inputs can increase the efficiency.

Given the strategic remarkable rank of pistachio in non-oil exports, inputs’ management in its production is so important. As the scarcest input in agricultural sector, water is considered to be among the most important inputs of pistachio production. Water inadequate supply and climate conditions increase water demand in pistachio growing areas. It is necessary to determine the real value or price of water for establishing a balance between its demand and supply. Therefore, this study has aimed at estimation of water economic value. The method used in this research is the production function approach. Requested data sets were obtained from the questionnaires was filled out for crop years of 2013-2014. The results show that the average economic value of irrigation water is 50360 RLS but the average price paid by farmers is 1771 RLS per cubic meter of water. Thus, there is a wide gap between water value and the price paid by farmers withwhich appropriate pricing of water based on its economic value can be eliminated.