Abstract: (27 Views)
Background: agricultural sustainable development and sustainable food security require the protection of basic resources including soil, water etc. The pattern of cultivation of agricultural products plays an important role in protection of the quality of these resources. In recent decades, addition to climate change, inappropriate cultivation pattern has caused destruction of water and soil resources in the country and subsequently high risk of farmers’ agricultural income. According to the emphasis of the National Policy Statement, the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad is trying to facilitate the achievement of self-sufficiency and sustainable food security through optimal management of basic resources by developing and extending the pattern of cultivation appropriate to different regions of the country based on land use planning. The current study has been conducted with the aim of investigating the willingness of farmers of Sari County to implement the proposed cultivation pattern of Mazandaran province. In this regard, while explaining the willingness of farmers to implement the proposed cultivation model of the province, the factors affecting it have also been identified through a causal analysis.
Methods: this research has been done in terms of practical purpose with quantitative research type, using survey technique and questionnaire tool. The statistical population of the study were 44173 farmers of Sari County in Mazandaran province. The number of samples was calculated using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size table, 338 people and stratified random sampling method was used for sampling. The face validity of the questionnaire was emphasized by the professors of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and its reliability by a pilot study and Cronbach's alpha test.
Results: the results of the study showed that the farmers were inclined to implement the proposed cultivation pattern in their farms. Farmers have more tendency to cultivate drought-tolerant, high-yielding and early varieties of various crops (such as rice and wheat), use pressurized irrigation methods (rainy, drip, strip), use modified seeds with low water consumption, cultivate oil seeds (such as rapeseed, soy, sunflower and safflower). The least amount of desire of farmers was to cultivate rice using dry farming method, to cultivate low-water fodder plants (such as triticale and sorghum), and to cultivate legumes in dry lands. Farmers had a favorable attitude towards the proposed cultivation pattern and while emphasizing that it was appropriate to the climatic conditions and their indigenous knowledge, they believed that this cultivation pattern can protect water and soil resources and ensure their sustainable production and income. The results of the causal analysis indicated that environmental support, attitude, technical knowledge, the amounts of communication with the agricultural experts, and favorable social norms were able to predict 38% of the changes in the willingness of farmers to implement the proposed cultivation pattern. Social norms, self-efficacy and environmental support were also effective on farmers' attitudes towards the proposed cultivation pattern. Also, self-efficacy was affected by farmers' technical knowledge on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was effective on farmers' attitude towards changing the cultivation pattern. Self-efficacy was affected by farmers' technical knowledge, and on the other hand, it was effective on farmers' attitude to change the cultivation pattern. This means that the improvement of technical knowledge has helped to increase the feeling of empowerment in the implementation of the proposed cultivation model and has led to a favorable attitude towards it.
Conclusion: The program to change the cultivation pattern can be successful when it is suitable to the field conditions and the farmers' wishes. The evaluation of this program from the point of view of its main audiences, farmers and villagers, can provide appropriate feedback for the correction and improvement of the program. Since changing the cultivation pattern is not only technical, but also has socio-economic dimensions, it is time-consuming and requires environmental support. based on the results, credit, financial and structural support to farmers, utilizing the capacity of leading farmers and rural reference persons to encourage others, upgrading their technical knowledge through training-extension programs, expanding farmers' communication with agricultural experts at the farm level, can encourage farmers to implement the proposed cultivation pattern. In fact, Government support by granting long-term low-interest bank loans, while compensating for the temporary decrease in income of not cultivating hydrophilic crops, helps farmers to implement more water and soil protection measures such as pressurized irrigation at their farm. Accompanying the elites and village leaders with the proposed cultivation pattern will be effective in its extension and social acceptability. The experimental implementation of the proposed cultivation plan at the level of the farms of the leading farmers, the selection and extension of innovative and productive farms, the introduction of model and sample sites will help to expand the cultivation plan at the regional level. Therefore, implementation of programs for the transfer of research findings and farm days with the focus on changing the cultivation pattern and introducing alternative crops should also be on the agenda
Methods: this research has been done in terms of practical purpose with quantitative research type, using survey technique and questionnaire tool. The statistical population of the study were 44173 farmers of Sari County in Mazandaran province. The number of samples was calculated using the Krejcie and Morgan sample size table, 338 people and stratified random sampling method was used for sampling. The face validity of the questionnaire was emphasized by the professors of Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and its reliability by a pilot study and Cronbach's alpha test.
Results: the results of the study showed that the farmers were inclined to implement the proposed cultivation pattern in their farms. Farmers have more tendency to cultivate drought-tolerant, high-yielding and early varieties of various crops (such as rice and wheat), use pressurized irrigation methods (rainy, drip, strip), use modified seeds with low water consumption, cultivate oil seeds (such as rapeseed, soy, sunflower and safflower). The least amount of desire of farmers was to cultivate rice using dry farming method, to cultivate low-water fodder plants (such as triticale and sorghum), and to cultivate legumes in dry lands. Farmers had a favorable attitude towards the proposed cultivation pattern and while emphasizing that it was appropriate to the climatic conditions and their indigenous knowledge, they believed that this cultivation pattern can protect water and soil resources and ensure their sustainable production and income. The results of the causal analysis indicated that environmental support, attitude, technical knowledge, the amounts of communication with the agricultural experts, and favorable social norms were able to predict 38% of the changes in the willingness of farmers to implement the proposed cultivation pattern. Social norms, self-efficacy and environmental support were also effective on farmers' attitudes towards the proposed cultivation pattern. Also, self-efficacy was affected by farmers' technical knowledge on the one hand, and on the other hand, it was effective on farmers' attitude towards changing the cultivation pattern. Self-efficacy was affected by farmers' technical knowledge, and on the other hand, it was effective on farmers' attitude to change the cultivation pattern. This means that the improvement of technical knowledge has helped to increase the feeling of empowerment in the implementation of the proposed cultivation model and has led to a favorable attitude towards it.
Conclusion: The program to change the cultivation pattern can be successful when it is suitable to the field conditions and the farmers' wishes. The evaluation of this program from the point of view of its main audiences, farmers and villagers, can provide appropriate feedback for the correction and improvement of the program. Since changing the cultivation pattern is not only technical, but also has socio-economic dimensions, it is time-consuming and requires environmental support. based on the results, credit, financial and structural support to farmers, utilizing the capacity of leading farmers and rural reference persons to encourage others, upgrading their technical knowledge through training-extension programs, expanding farmers' communication with agricultural experts at the farm level, can encourage farmers to implement the proposed cultivation pattern. In fact, Government support by granting long-term low-interest bank loans, while compensating for the temporary decrease in income of not cultivating hydrophilic crops, helps farmers to implement more water and soil protection measures such as pressurized irrigation at their farm. Accompanying the elites and village leaders with the proposed cultivation pattern will be effective in its extension and social acceptability. The experimental implementation of the proposed cultivation plan at the level of the farms of the leading farmers, the selection and extension of innovative and productive farms, the introduction of model and sample sites will help to expand the cultivation plan at the regional level. Therefore, implementation of programs for the transfer of research findings and farm days with the focus on changing the cultivation pattern and introducing alternative crops should also be on the agenda
Keywords: Food security, Employment improvment, Cultivation pattern, Protection of basic resources, Intention.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
تحقیق و توسعه و نوآوری
Received: 2024/11/30 | Accepted: 2025/02/23
Received: 2024/11/30 | Accepted: 2025/02/23
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