Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2025)
J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric 2025, 12(1): 34-48 |
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Shirzadi Laskookalayeh S. (2025). Identifying and Prioritizing Factors Affecting the Prosperity of Rice Production Business in Mazandaran Province with the View of Sustainable Rural Employment. J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric. 12(1), 34-48. doi:10.61186/jea.2024.409
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-409-en.html
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-409-en.html
Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari, Iran
Abstract: (1750 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: The inadequacy of the supply of agricultural inputs with the demand for various products of this sector reveals the need for the optimal use of resources and increasing productivity. In this regard, addressing the issue of productivity in rice production is very important due to its essential role in feeding different sections of society, providing food security, reducing dependence on imports and foreign exchange, strengthening trade interactions with other countries, generating income, creating employment, creating balance in the business and capital market, and many other issues. In 2022, Mazandaran Province produced 1.6 million tons of paddy as a strategic product, responsible for 44.47% of Iran's paddy production, and in this sense, it has been ranked first in the country. This province has long been known as the hub of rice production, and this user product, having about 76% of Mazandaran's irrigated crop area, has always made an important contribution to the province's employment. For this purpose, the present study aimed to identify factors affecting the prosperity of the rice production business in Mazandaran Province, focusing on measuring the inefficiency of various production inputs, especially the labor force.
Methods: Three institutional, managerial, and policy-market criteria effective in the prosperity of rice production business were extracted in this study. The input criterion includes all production factors affecting the productivity of this product, which includes eight subcriteria as water, labor, land, fertilizer, poison, machinery, capital, and seed. The management criterion is all management actions by relevant organizations and bodies (Jahad Keshavarzi, Regional Water, Room of Commerce), which includes six regulatory, executive, organizational, service, and innovation options. The political-market criterion also covered the macro-government policies that can affect the productivity of rice, and there are six financial, economic, structural, commercial, marketing, and strategic development options. Thus, 19 effective options in the productivity of rice production were considered in this study. In this study, factors affecting the productivity of this product were exracted and prioritized using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, measuring the production efficiency of important cultivars of this product (high-quality rice and high-yielding rice) using the data envelopment analysis method (DEA), and then examining productivity changes over time using the Malmquist Index (MI). The data needed for identifying and prioritizing factors in this research were collected by designing a questionnaire, which was completed based on the opinions of 18 experts, including those from the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Mazandaran Province and Sari City, as well as the academic community. The statistics and information of the Agricultural Jahad Organization of the province were used to complete the data in measuring the productivity of production and efficiency of inputs.
Results: The results indicate that among the eight production factors, water, mechanization, and land are the most important input factors in rice production with weights of 0.36, 0.2, and 0.14, respectively. Among the five management factors, benefiting from the opinions of agricultural experts, implementing the optimal cultivation pattern of crops according to the climatic conditions and the status of water resources in the province, and using new technologies in agricultural operations with weights of 0.40, 0.25, and 0.14, respectively, were known as three important and superior factors for the management of rice production business. In addition, the financial, economic options, and improvement of the structure of the rice product marketing system were determined with the weights of 0.30, 0.22, and 0.19, respectively, as three policy-market subcriteria affecting the rice productivity of this province. Based on the findings in the agricultural year of 2017-2018 in the east of this province, Qaemshahr City, the land, machinary, poison, and fertilizer inputs were inefficient at 52.68%, 48.26%, 34.37%, and 33.16%, respectively. In 2018, the inefficiency rates in the use of land, labor, and poison inputs were 71.36%, 15.09%, and 4.46%, respectively. In the production of high-yielding rice in the east of the province, there has been inefficiency in the use of land, machinary, seed, water, and fertilizer inputs. Accordingly, Behshahr City acted inefficiently in consuming the mentioned inputs by 68.29, 52.60, 16.65, 12.63, and 7.55%, respectively. In 1998, the cities of Behshahr and Neka acted inefficiently in the consumption of all the investigated inputs, except for machinery. The percentages of inefficiency in the labor input are 16.14 and 42.07%, respectively. In addition, the productivity growth index values of Malmquist in the production of high-quality rice and high-yielding rice are 1.155 and 1.094, respectively. Hence, it can be concluded that the production productivity of this product has increased in this province.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the productivity of different rice varieties has increased during the studied period. In the case of high-yielding rice, however, the technical efficiency of producers in newer technology is lower than in older technology. Therefore, it is necessary for trustee organizations and knowledge-based companies to invest in the research, innovation, and promotion of new technology in training to use this technology. In this study, "water" has been determined as the most important input affecting the productivity of this product; therefore, it is recommended to take necessary measures to promote water storage and reduce its consumption. It is also suggested to provide financial support to rice farmers and the development of knowledge-based companies to provide new irrigation systems. Referring to the results of this study, the use of "machinery" is considered the second most effective factor in increasing productivity. In addition to reducing the cost of manpower and saving time, the uniformity and accuracy of the work are increased with mechanized cultivation, and seedlings are exposed to less damage. However, this issue does not mean to ignore the role and importance of the workforce in the production and elimination of job opportunities. Rather, it is recommended to train skilled and specialized human resources to benefit from mechanization for the long-term stability of the rice production business and stable rural employment.
Background: The inadequacy of the supply of agricultural inputs with the demand for various products of this sector reveals the need for the optimal use of resources and increasing productivity. In this regard, addressing the issue of productivity in rice production is very important due to its essential role in feeding different sections of society, providing food security, reducing dependence on imports and foreign exchange, strengthening trade interactions with other countries, generating income, creating employment, creating balance in the business and capital market, and many other issues. In 2022, Mazandaran Province produced 1.6 million tons of paddy as a strategic product, responsible for 44.47% of Iran's paddy production, and in this sense, it has been ranked first in the country. This province has long been known as the hub of rice production, and this user product, having about 76% of Mazandaran's irrigated crop area, has always made an important contribution to the province's employment. For this purpose, the present study aimed to identify factors affecting the prosperity of the rice production business in Mazandaran Province, focusing on measuring the inefficiency of various production inputs, especially the labor force.
Methods: Three institutional, managerial, and policy-market criteria effective in the prosperity of rice production business were extracted in this study. The input criterion includes all production factors affecting the productivity of this product, which includes eight subcriteria as water, labor, land, fertilizer, poison, machinery, capital, and seed. The management criterion is all management actions by relevant organizations and bodies (Jahad Keshavarzi, Regional Water, Room of Commerce), which includes six regulatory, executive, organizational, service, and innovation options. The political-market criterion also covered the macro-government policies that can affect the productivity of rice, and there are six financial, economic, structural, commercial, marketing, and strategic development options. Thus, 19 effective options in the productivity of rice production were considered in this study. In this study, factors affecting the productivity of this product were exracted and prioritized using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, measuring the production efficiency of important cultivars of this product (high-quality rice and high-yielding rice) using the data envelopment analysis method (DEA), and then examining productivity changes over time using the Malmquist Index (MI). The data needed for identifying and prioritizing factors in this research were collected by designing a questionnaire, which was completed based on the opinions of 18 experts, including those from the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Mazandaran Province and Sari City, as well as the academic community. The statistics and information of the Agricultural Jahad Organization of the province were used to complete the data in measuring the productivity of production and efficiency of inputs.
Results: The results indicate that among the eight production factors, water, mechanization, and land are the most important input factors in rice production with weights of 0.36, 0.2, and 0.14, respectively. Among the five management factors, benefiting from the opinions of agricultural experts, implementing the optimal cultivation pattern of crops according to the climatic conditions and the status of water resources in the province, and using new technologies in agricultural operations with weights of 0.40, 0.25, and 0.14, respectively, were known as three important and superior factors for the management of rice production business. In addition, the financial, economic options, and improvement of the structure of the rice product marketing system were determined with the weights of 0.30, 0.22, and 0.19, respectively, as three policy-market subcriteria affecting the rice productivity of this province. Based on the findings in the agricultural year of 2017-2018 in the east of this province, Qaemshahr City, the land, machinary, poison, and fertilizer inputs were inefficient at 52.68%, 48.26%, 34.37%, and 33.16%, respectively. In 2018, the inefficiency rates in the use of land, labor, and poison inputs were 71.36%, 15.09%, and 4.46%, respectively. In the production of high-yielding rice in the east of the province, there has been inefficiency in the use of land, machinary, seed, water, and fertilizer inputs. Accordingly, Behshahr City acted inefficiently in consuming the mentioned inputs by 68.29, 52.60, 16.65, 12.63, and 7.55%, respectively. In 1998, the cities of Behshahr and Neka acted inefficiently in the consumption of all the investigated inputs, except for machinery. The percentages of inefficiency in the labor input are 16.14 and 42.07%, respectively. In addition, the productivity growth index values of Malmquist in the production of high-quality rice and high-yielding rice are 1.155 and 1.094, respectively. Hence, it can be concluded that the production productivity of this product has increased in this province.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the productivity of different rice varieties has increased during the studied period. In the case of high-yielding rice, however, the technical efficiency of producers in newer technology is lower than in older technology. Therefore, it is necessary for trustee organizations and knowledge-based companies to invest in the research, innovation, and promotion of new technology in training to use this technology. In this study, "water" has been determined as the most important input affecting the productivity of this product; therefore, it is recommended to take necessary measures to promote water storage and reduce its consumption. It is also suggested to provide financial support to rice farmers and the development of knowledge-based companies to provide new irrigation systems. Referring to the results of this study, the use of "machinery" is considered the second most effective factor in increasing productivity. In addition to reducing the cost of manpower and saving time, the uniformity and accuracy of the work are increased with mechanized cultivation, and seedlings are exposed to less damage. However, this issue does not mean to ignore the role and importance of the workforce in the production and elimination of job opportunities. Rather, it is recommended to train skilled and specialized human resources to benefit from mechanization for the long-term stability of the rice production business and stable rural employment.
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