Investigating the level of Awareness about Good Agricultural Practices and its influencing factors among Irrigated Wheat growers (A Case in Nahavand County)

Accepting the standard of Good Agricultural Practices, like other agricultural innovations, requires prior knowledge, and various factors may affect this knowledge. The study aimed to investigate the knowledge of irrigated wheat growers in Nahavand County about Good Agricultural Practices and the factors affecting it. The research was applied and the statistical population of the study was 6936 irrigated wheat growers in Nahavand County. The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula of 143 people and 180 questionnaires were distributed to increase the accuracy of the research. Sampling was done by stratified method with proportional assignment and the number of wheat farmers was determined in relation to the area under cultivation. Based on the results; awareness of irrigated wheat growers about the practices of tillage and planting management, nutrition and fertility management, water consumption management (irrigation), pest management, diseases and weeds control, waste management, and soil health, was relatively high. It is while, awareness about practices of harvesting operation management, post-harvest management, farm health management, farmer’s safety, worker welfare and consulting was relatively low. According to the comparing means tests, there is a significant difference between the level of GAP awareness in different categories of membership in cooperatives, plant protection clinics, place of residence, level of education and type of land ownership. Based on the results of multiple regression, three independent variables viz., level of social participation, level of access and use of information and communication channels and resources as well as  level of access and use of supportive-institutional resources 42/7 explain the dependent variable of GAP awareness among irrigated wheat growers.