Logistic Regression Analysis on Factors Affecting Adoption of Rice-Fish Farming in North Iran

We evaluated the factors influencing the adoption of rice-fish farming in the Tavalesh region near the Caspian Sea in northern Iran. We conducted a survey with open-ended questions. Data were collected from 184 respondents （61 adopters and 123 non-adopters） randomly sampled from selected villages and analyzed using logistic regression and multi- response analysis. Family size, number of contacts with an extension agent, participation in extension-education activities, membership in social institutions and the presence of farm workers were the most important socio-economic factors for the adoption of rice-fish farming system. In addition, economic problems were the most common issue reported by adopters. Other issues such as lack of access to appropriate fish food, losses of fish, lack of access to high quality fish fingerlings and dehydration and poor water quality were also important to a number of farmers.

Transition towards sustainability in agriculture and food systems:Role of information and communication technologies

Food sustainability transitions refer to transformation processes necessary to move towards sustainable food systems.Digitization is one of the most important ongoing transformation processes in global agriculture and food chains.The review paper explores the contribution of information and communication technologies(ICTs)to transition towards sustainability along the food chain(production,processing,distribution,consumption).A particular attention is devoted to precision agriculture as a food production model that integrates many ICTs.ICTs can contribute to agro-food sustainability transition by increasing resource productivity,reducing inefficiencies,decreasing management costs,and improving food chain coordination.The paper also explores some drawbacks of ICTs as well as the factors limiting their uptake in agriculture.

Operational indicators for measuring organizational e-readiness based on fuzzy logic: A challenge in the Agricultural Organization of Guilan Province, Iran

Information and communications technology has exponentially grown in recent years and has played a significant role in organizational development.The main purpose of this study was to collect the data needed for the introduction of a new tool for assessing e-readiness in the Agricultural Organization of Guilan Province,Iran.The study population includes agricultural organization experts and researchers who were familiar with the concepts of IT and the organization status.Based on the relevant literature review,the e-readiness indicators which had theoretically been proposed and practically used by researchers over the past 10 years were identified.Then some parameters were introduced for examination and prioritization.These indicators represented the spatial and temporal factors as well as the characteristics of the condition of the Agricultural Organization of Guilan Province.The proposed structural model included seven factors(Infrastructural,Human,Educational,Government,Management,Socio-cultural and Legal)and 44 indicators.After that,based on the experts’points of view,the coefficient of significance for each of the selected factors and indicators was measured using Minkowski fuzzy screening method.The results obtained from structured questionnaires show that all of the seven main factors and 40 indicators out of 44 indicators were appropriate for assessing electronic readiness and the final model of assessing e-readiness.Furthermore,the results indicated that the most important factor in assessing e-readiness is the human factor and then stand other factors such as educational,infrastructural,management,government,legal and socio-cultural.

Agricultural experts’attitude towards precision agriculture:Evidence from Guilan Agricultural Organization,Northern Iran

Identifying factors that influence the attitudes of agricultural experts regarding precision agriculture plays an important role in developing,promoting and establishing precision agriculture.The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting the attitudes of agricultural experts regarding the implementation of precision agriculture.A descriptive research design was employed as the research method.A research-made questionnaire was used to examine the agricultural experts’attitude toward precision agriculture.Internal consistency was demonstrated with a coefficient alpha of 0.87,and the content and face validity of the instrument was confirmed by a panel of experts.The results show that technical,economic and accessibility factors accounted for 55%of the changes in attitudes towards precision agriculture.The findings revealed that there were no significant differences between participants in terms of gender,field of study,extension education,age,experience,organizational position and attitudes,while education levels had a significant effect on the respondent’s attitudes.

Understanding the attitudes and practices of paddy farmers for enhancing soil and water conservation in Northern Iran

The objective of this paper was to identify the factors affecting rice growers’attitudes and practices towards water and soil conservation in the Fumanat Plain of Guilan Province,Iran.Data were collected through a survey questionnaire addressing a cross section of 400 rice growers of the Fumanat Plain in four districts.Data were analyzed using both summary statistics and multivariate statistical procedures while content validity of the statements was first determined by a group of experts of water and soil conservation.It was found that more than 23% of the variance of attitudes towards water and soil conservation could be determined by a linear combination of variables included in a regression equation.Identifying the factors affecting rice growers’attitudes is suggested as a way of integrating rice cultivation into rural development.From a practical point of view,the above mentioned implications are of great importance generally for society,policy makers and related economic sectors.