International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Dec 2019

Given the unlimited needs of mankind and the limited resources available, human beings have always been thinking about how to use the available resources and facilities optimally. Energy plays an important role in economic activities and it is of great importance in agriculture. Over the past four decades, energy consumption in the agricultural sector has increased tremendously. In Iran, energy used to be provided with subsidies to various economic sectors like agriculture in order to support the production. In this study, the ARDL- FUZZY method is used to study the effect of various factors on energy consumption in Iran's agricultural sector. The data on energy consumption by the agricultural sector, the share of the agricultural sector in the economy, the ratio of capital to labor, energy intensity, and energy prices were collected for the period 1974-2015. The results indicate that the share of the agricultural sector has a positive and significant effect on energy consumption over the studied period. The capital/labor ratio has a positive effect on energy consumption. Energy intensity in the studied period eventually has an irregular trend and has a positive effect on energy consumption in this sector. Energy prices (fossil fuels and electricity) have a negative effect (a low level of significance) on energy consumption. Therefore, it is suggested to give more consideration to energy consumption and its underlying factors in policymaking due to the importance of energy and the problem of pollution.

Climate change is one of the most important challenges of the current century, affecting agriculture more than other ones, an entrepreneur farmer perceives environmental challenges and changes as an opportunity. In this regard, this study aims to analyze the effects of climate change dimensions on Entrepreneurial Opportunities Recognition(EOR) intheagricultural sector of Kermanshah Province, Iran. The statistical population of the study included all entrepreneurs of the agricultural sector in Kermanshah Province, with 102 of them being selected through a simple randomization method. A researcher-made questionnaire was used as the main tool of data collection whose validity and reliability were confirmed by a panel of experts and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Kuder and Richardson formulas. The findings indicated that respondents had correctly and successfully identified existing entrepreneurial opportunities in the agricultural sector since they examined the proportion and desirability of these opportunities at a high level of possibility. Results also showed that more than half of the respondents perceived climate changes at a high level and took them into account for initiating their business. According to the results of regression analysis, climate changes dimensions (drought, dust, and temperature rise) account for 41% of variance changes in EOR in the agricultural sector of Kermanshah Province. Our findings have implications to help policymakers, planners, and managers in improving entrepreneurial opportunities and recognizing farmers’ capability.

The purpose of this research was to identify the factors affecting research practices development (RPD) regarding entrepreneurship in agricultural higher education, case study Islamic Azad University, Khouzestan Province, Iran.  Faculty members in Islamic Azad University, Khouzestan Province were considered as statistical population. The sample size based on Cochran formula was determined (n=210). Stratified random sampling was used to select faculty members. A researcher-made questionnaire was employed for data collection. Its validity was confirmed by content validity and its total reliability was estimated by Cronbach's alpha as to be 0.81. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe RPD performance regarding entrepreneurship in agricultural higher education and inferential statistics to analyzing factors affecting on RDP. The results of the factor analysis showed that four factors such as encouraging researchers to research in entrepreneurship (MF1), institutionalization of entrepreneurship in academic research (MF2), establishing proper communication between the university and industry (SF) and creating the necessary rules and infrastructure for the commercialization of knowledge regarding entrepreneurship (LF) were identified as factors affecting the research practices development (RPD) regarding entrepreneurship in agricultural higher education which explained 62.55% of the total variance altogether. The result of the structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that, it can be seen that the predictive positive effect of MF1 to RDP is supported (β=0.38, t-value=4.86, p<0.001). In addition, MF2 has a positive effect on RDP (β=0.39, t-value=5.08, p<0.001). Also the LF has a positive effect on RDP (β=0.31, t-value=4.05, p<0.001). MF2, SF and LF also have a significant impact on MF1. The findings showed that R2 for RDP was 0.53. So that, these four construct (MF1, MF2, SF and LF) determinants accounts for 62% of the variance in the RDP.

One of the major industries to meet the expansion goals in human, social, and economic aspects is herbal medicine. Marketing department, producers, and entrepreneurs play an important role in applying potentials in this industry, but, as herbal medicine scholars argue, herbal medicine market share in Iran is less than 4 percent. This might be due to neglecting executive targeted marketing. The participants of the study included all people going to pharmacies to purchase herbal medicines. Purposeful and classified sampling methods were used in qualitative and quantitative sections, respectively. As to the qualitative phase, grounded theory method was applied, while k-means approach was used for quantitative data analysis. Qualitative findings resulted in the extraction of eight essential categories. Moreover, the results of K- mean algorithm suggested that the best mode is segmenting this market (i.e., herbal medicine) into four segments. The segments differ from each other in terms of the selected categories. Results contribute to presenting an appropriate strategy for each segment in order to simultaneously create value for both customers and market in particular and create facilities for expansion and growth of herbal medicine industry in general.

Investment in the agricultural sector is important because this sector greatly affects the realms of providing food independence and security, employment, sustainable development, and environmental preservation. So, this study investigated the socio-economic impacts (direct and indirect effects) of the investment development policy on the agricultural sector and its sub-sectors in Iran in 2011 using a social accounting matrix (SAM). The results included three scenarios including a 15% increase in investment in the agricultural sector, a 10% increase in the investment in the farming and gardening sub-sector, a 15% increase in the investment in the farming and gardening sub-sector, and a 10% increase in the investment in the other sub-sectors. They indicated that the total income of the economy was increased when these scenarios were implemented; however, the first scenario had a greater impact on the total income of the economy (13.12%) compared to the other scenarios. Furthermore, it can be said that the sectors of agriculture (2.98%) and industry (0.36%) were most influenced by the first scenario and the sub-sector of farming and gardening and the industrial sector were most influenced by the second and third scenarios. According to the results of this study, it is suggested to take some actions to develop crop insurance and secure investment against potential losses by the available risks in the agricultural sector. Moreover, the government can play an influential role in controlling inflation and preventing price fluctuations so as to assure and motivate investors to increase investment in the agricultural sector.

The present study explores the effect of inbound marketing factors on marketing performance. The statistical population was composed of all customers of six restaurants with Gilaki names in Rasht, which are active in cyberspace. A total of 400 individuals were selected by convenience sampling. The standard scales included visibility management, active listening, community building, word-of-mouth (WOM) intention, and purchase intention. Data were analyzed by structural equations modeling in Amos (ver. 24) software package. The coefficient of determination for the dependent variables showed that active listening, community building, visibility management and WOM intention could account for 49 percent of the variance of customer purchase intention. Also, active listening, community building, and visibility management captured 28 percent of the variance of customer WOM intention. Therefore, it can be concluded that the active presence of restaurants in cyberspace is directly related to customer WOM and purchase intention and attention to inbound marketing tools will play a key role in the viability of their business.

Food safety begins on the farms and farmers play a crucial role in producing healthy food. Several factors were investigated here including water quality, labor health, health facilities, packaging and storage, transportation, fertilizers and solid organic materials, and field sanitation to reach more comprehensive results. So, 380 farmers were selected from 77 villages of rural areas of Gonbad-e Kavus County, north of Iran, using multistage random sampling. Data were collected by a questionnaire and analyzed with the SPSS18 software. Results showed that the score of the food safety practice index was above average and could be evaluated at a good level. Farmers had the best practice in “field sanitation” and the worst practice in “labor health”. Literate farmers had better food safety practices than illiterate farmers. The food safety practice index showed positive correlations with educational level and farmer income from other jobs. However, negative correlations were observed regarding farmer age, job experience and income from husbandry. It is suggested that educational programs and essential facilities are needed to enable farmers to adhere to farm food safety practices.

The study investigated performance of loan repayment among rice farmers under the MiDA agricultural credit programme in the Hohoe Municipality. Primary data was collected from 120 farmers from 4 beneficiary towns while secondary data was gathered from literatures and various organizations. Multistage random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Obtained data were analyzed using T-test, Tobit regression model. Results from t-test showed statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.001) between the amount of loan applied for and the amount received by farmers. Out of the ten explanatory variables included in the Tobit regression model, five were significant. Significant factors (p ≤ 0.001) include: sex, household size, group size, value of output and timeliness of loan disbursement.

Agricultural Extension services are among the most important rural services in developing countries. The services are considered to be a key driver of technological change and productivity growth in agriculture. In Kenya, like in the rest of the developing economies, agricultural extension has largely been delivered through supply–driven approaches. Due to perceived low impact of agricultural extension, the country is implementing the National Extension Policy (NEP) which advocates for demand–driven extension and participation of other players. Using the case of the smallholder tea sub-sector, this paper examines the effects the FFS extension on tea crop yields in Kenya. The FFS system uses participatory approaches including the demonstration of best sustainable practices in the farms and farmers learn by doing. Data for the study was collected from a sample of 525 farm households in Western Kenya using a multi stage random sampling procedure and analyzed using the propensity score matching (PSM) model which controls for self-selection endogeneity. The results show that participation in FFS extension increases annual tea yields by an average of 471.70 kgs per acre (p = 0.009) while the farmer–funded train and visit system has no influence on crop yields. A part from showing the contribution of FFS to crop yields, the paper demonstrates that the supply–driven extension models including T&V are necessary to stimulate demand in the initial stages of implementing the FFS models. Based on the findings, investments to enhance FFS access among smallholder farmers are recommended.