Changes and Problems of Agricultural Development in Iran

There has been a big debate on the evolution of agricultural development (AD), the challenges and problems hindering AD in Iran since last decade. This study was implemented in the province of Esfahan and a number of 130 out of 212 agricultural experts from 13 different townships were selected as the target group. Totally 70 experts returned the completed questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that most of the AD changes have been positive but in a very slow rate. Respondents unanimously claimed that the sustainability in agriculture and maintenance of agricultural lands are the most deteriorating issues during last ten years. With regard to AD problems, they stressed the lack of adequate fund allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture (MAJ) and lack of its power to control beneficiary dealers within the sector, unfair political influence, lack of international contacts and also untrustworthiness of agriculture for private investors as the most problematic obstacles for AD in Iran. They perceived that MAJ has not sufficiently addressed the problems so far, although, there are some promising movements. Experts believed that MAJ is not able to solve the majority of problems alone due to their extrinsic nature

Tackling the drivers of child undernutrition in developing countries : What works and how should interventions be designed?

OBJECTIVE: The present paper presents a synthesis of available evidence to support action on the interventions that can effectively address the main drivers of child undernutrition in developing countries. It also discusses how interventions should be designed and identifies policy-relevant areas for further research. DESIGN: A structured literature review of fifty-eight controlled evaluations and studies in developing countries were selected because they are methodologically sound, recent (reported within the past 10 years), report on nutritional status, cover a wide range of interventions and are implemented by a range of different agencies. SETTING: Indirect interventions in developing countries, which address the underlying and basic causes of child undernutrition and can potentially be implemented in the short to medium term. SUBJECTS: Children under 5 years of age and their mothers across a range of developing countries. RESULTS: Evidence has now accumulated to guide action on a range of indirect interventions that can reduce child undernutrition, but for all these interventions context is all-important. There is less evidence on how these interventions can be effectively implemented on a large scale. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts should be directed towards improving implementation of effective interventions on a large scale. Donors need to keep commitments both in dollar terms and in terms of the Paris Declaration so that the push for improved nutrition does not become donor driven. At the country level, there is a need for enabling governance structures, institutions and evidence-based decision making. Within countries there is a need for well-trained personnel with delegated authority, accountable to local people. It is essential for chains of accountability to be transparent and for active involvement of households in decision-making processes

Training transfer for sustainable agricultural intensification in Tanzania: critical considerations for scaling - up

Sustainable Intensification (SI) in agriculture is fronted as a promising approach to increase agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa countries. Technologies that can lead to realization of the SI goal are available but one of the key challenges is the low reach among smallholder farmers due to, among others, ineffective training and co-learning. In this study, a survey methodology was used to obtain data from 145 trainees in a sustainable intensification intervention in Kongwa and Mvomero districts, Tanzania, to analyze the drivers of training transfer. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that motivation of trainees, training design and delivery, and work environment (peer, extension and local institutional support) had positive effects on transfer of the training. For successful transfer of training, recommendations given were a deliberate focus on selection of suitable trainees and ensuring their motivation to learn; use of appropriate documentation, extension and training methods; strengthening farmers’ networks for peer learning; and strengthening collaborations with local institutions

Social Costs of Energy Disruptions

The costs of energy supply disruptions for industrialised economies go well beyond the economic measures of national accounts. According to different kinds of risks, physical shortages or price shocks, there are several categories of negative effects. Oil disruptions have both a direct and an indirect impact, (at global and local levels) and have a short- and a medium-term horizon. The economic effects of electricity shortages are also direct and indirect, but the temporal lag is shorter than for oil disruptions. In this paper, we summarise the different ways an economy is affected by an oil shock or a power black-out. Oil crises in the past produced high inflation rates, trade and payments imbalances, high unemployment, and weak business and consumer confidence. The social costs of electricity shortages have immediate negative results, and relatively small, indirect effects – depending on the extension of the disruption, the duration, the availability of advance warning and information. A specific assessment of the social costs of an electricity shortage remains a research task for the future.Social costs, Energy disruption

Co-constructing a new framework for evaluating social innovation in marginalized rural areas

The EU funded H2020 project \u2018Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas\u2019 (SIMRA; www.simra-h2020.eu) has the overall objective of advancing the state-of-the-art in social innovation. This paper outlines the process for co- developing an evaluation framework with stakeholders, drawn from across Europe and the Mediterranean area, in the fields of agriculture, forestry and rural development. Preliminary results show the importance of integrating process and outcome-oriented evaluations, and implementing participatory approaches in evaluation practice. They also raise critical issues related to the comparability of primary data in diverse regional contexts and highlight the need for mixed methods approaches in evaluation

Green Human Resource Management Practices Among Palestinian Manufacturing Firms- An Exploratory Study

Organizations are increasingly finding it challenging to balance economic and environmental performance particularly those that face competitive, regulatory and community pressure. With the increasing pressures for environmental sustainability, this calls for the new formulation of strategies by the manufacturers in order to minimize their products and services negative impact on the environment. Hence, Green Human Resource Management (GHRM) continues to be an important research agenda among the researchers. In Palestine, green issues are new and still developing. Constant study is needed to fully understand and update information regarding this area. Objective: The aim of this paper is to explore the views and level of acceptance of GHRM practices among manufacturing firms in Palestine. Results: Through the use of e-mail survey, 121 responses were obtained to generate the results of the study. The result showed GHRM practices have been practiced to somewhat to a greater extent a firms in Palestine. Findings can be extended to study on the issues in further. Academicians and practitioners can apply this result to their research and business strategies on how to improve sustainable performance and to effectively implement GHRM practices

The Determinants of Sustainable Agricultural Technology Adoption

Pertanian memiliki peran penting karena lebih dari 60% populasi dunia bergantung pada pertanian sebagai mata pencaharian. Salah satu faktor penyumbang  besar terhadap pertumbuhan produktivitas pertanian adalah penerapan teknologi baru.  Teknologi baru pertanian diharapkan berperan sebagai jalan penting untuk keluar dari kemiskinan di sebagian besar negara berkembang. Namun, realita menunjukkan tingkat adopsi teknologi pertanian dianggap masih relatif rendah. Makalah ini merupakan scientific review yang merangkum dan menganalisis hasil-hasil penelitian tentang adopsi teknologi pertanian. Tujuan makalah adalah untuk mengamati pengalaman di sejumlah negara terkait adopsi teknologi pertanian dan menentukan faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi adopsi serta keberlanjutan suatu adopsi teknologi. Hasil studi mengungkapkan bahwa keputusan petani untuk mengadopsi teknologi baru bergantung pada interaksi dinamis antara karakteristik teknologi dan kondisi lingkungannya. Beberapa aspek yang memengaruhi adopsi teknologi pertanian antara lain aspek teknologi, ekonomi dan keuangan, sosial dan kelembagaan, serta usaha pertanian dan karakteristik rumah tangga petani. Namun, penentu adopsi teknologi pertanian tidak selalu tunggal, melainkan kombinasi dari beberapa faktor sehingga untuk memacu adopsi teknologi harus memperhitungkan semua faktor penentunya. Pendekatan yang komprehensif menjadi pilihan terbaik untuk menyebarluaskan teknologi baru pertanian. Pemerintah dapat menjadi fasilitator untuk adopsi teknologi dan memastikan teknologi yang disebarkan bermanfaat bagi petani

Global water: issues and insights

This book brings together some of the world’s leading water researchers with an especially written collection of chapters on: water economics; transboundary water; water and development; water and energy; and water concepts. Introduction Freshwater governance holds a prominent position in the global policy agenda. Burgeoning water demand due to population growth and rising incomes is combining with supply-side pressures, such as environmental pollution and climate change, to create acute conditions of global water scarcity. This is a major concern because water is a primary input for agriculture, manufacturing, environmental health, human health, energy production and just about every economic sector and ecosystem. In addition to its importance, the management of freshwater resources is a complex, multidisciplinary topic. Encompassing a range of fields in the physical and social sciences, the task of sustainably meeting human and environmental water needs requires a depth and breadth of understanding unparalleled by most other policy problems. Our objective in this volume is to provide knowledge and insights into major issues and concepts related to freshwater governance. The book is divided into five themed parts: Economics, Transboundary governance, Development, Energy and Water Concepts. A part addresses each theme and opens with an introduction that provides an overview of key topics. For example, the introduction to the economics section presents two main foci: measuring the value of water and managing trade-offs between different water uses. The thematic case studies discuss issues such as water pricing in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, finance of water supply and irrigation infrastructure and improving agricultural production with enhanced water management. The aim of the volume is to accessibly communicate academic research from the many fields of freshwater governance. Too often, academic research is paywalled and/or written in a style that caters to colleagues in the same field, rather than a broader audience from other disciplines, the policy-making community and the general public. This open-access book presents the research of a range of global experts on freshwater governance in brief, insightful chapters that do not presume a high level of pre-existing knowledge of their respective subjects. This format is intended to present knowledge on the key problems of and solutions to global freshwater challenges. The final part presents research from several United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) supported water research Chairs and Centres. Support and coordination of the insititutions highlighted in this part of the book is provided by UNESCO. One water research Chair is The Australian National University – UNESCO Chair in Water Economics and Transboundary Governance, which was established in April 2010 and works with partners in southern Africa, UNESCO, the Global Water Partnership and other organisations to: (1) increase the skills, capacity, networks and potential of leaders and prospective water managers and policy-makers; (2) sustain and strengthen institutional capacity (especially in southern Africa) by providing a platform for collaboration and institutional development; and, (3) develop innovative research, tools, case-studies, and insights on water economics, water governance and equity. Established by the ANU–UNESCO Chair, the Global Water Forum (GWF) seeks to disseminate knowledge regarding freshwater governance and build the capacity of students, policy-makers and the general public to respond to local and global water issues. The GWF publishes accessible, subscription-free articles highlighing the latest research and practice concerning freshwater governance. A broad range of water-related topics are discussed in a non-technical manner, including water security, development, agriculture, energy and environment. In addition to publishing articles, reports and books, the GWF is engaged in a range of activities, such as the annual Emerging Scholars Award and hosting a portal to educational resources on freshwater. We hope that you enjoy reading this book and, more importantly, gain an improved understanding of the complex freshwater-governance challenges facing us all on a global scale and at a local level

Comparative scorecard assessment of urban water pricing policies-The case of Jordan and Iran

Urban water pricing is becoming increasingly important due to the rapid rate of urbanization and the expansion of water reclamation and reuse. The mounting evidence of failures of current pricing schemes makes analyzing their performance essential for understanding the adequacy of economic and sustainability policies in water management. However, urban water pricing policies are complex, serve multiple objectives, and vary widely across regions and countries. This paper presents an assessment framework for urban water pricing policies based on common conditions advocated for well-functioning pricing policies. Using a simplified scorecard, it compares the performance of urban water pricing policies in Jordan and Iran, two countries under growing scarcity pressure. Both countries show serious deficiencies with regard to the economic valuation of water services and the cost recovery of utilities. Public policies are rather oriented towards access and affordability, with Jordan showing a higher level of transparency and competition in tariff-setting. The assessment tool indicates a high potential for experience-sharing in future reforms, which should promote water as a scarce good. Such reforms need to prioritize full cost valuation, participation, and scientifically based designs of local and regional water tariffs.The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library.Scopu