An Ordinal factor analysis of requirements and challenges of information and communication technology system to train private agricultural insurance brokers in Iran

This study was conducted to identify challenges and requirements of an information and communication technology (ICT) system to train brokers. Using the ordinal factor analysis, the challenges and requirements have been classified into six factors (Human, Organisational, Technical,Social, Financial, and Legal) and four factors (instructional,technical, organisational, and cultural) respectively. Finally a conceptual framework is presented for the challenges and requirements of the ICT training system

Role of public sector in developing agricultural biotechnology in Iran

Agricultural experts in the field of biotechnology in Iran were surveyed in order to explore their perception  about factors influencing the participation of public sector in developing agricultural biotechnology in Iran.  Based on the results of the study, policy making, marketing, infrastructural, educational and research factors determined about 74% of variance of factors influencing the participation of public sector in developing agricultural biotechnology.Key words: Biotechnology, agriculture, Iran, public sector

Degree modeling of pistachio farmers' resilience against climate change (Study subject: Rural areas of Rafsanjan and Anar counties, Iran)

The counties of Rafsanjan and Anar are some of the main production centers of pistachio, an important strategic commodity of Iran that is recently facing major environmental problems such as climate change. Therefore, the present research has modeled the degree of resilience of Rafsanjan pistachio and pomegranate farmers against climate change. The study's statistical population was pistachio farmers in the rural areas of Rafsanjan and Anar, which were 27,860 people. To determine the sample size of the research, a sample size of 588 users was calculated using Cochran's formula, with an error level of 4%. Users were then randomly selected in each village as a proportional assignment. A questionnaire was used for data collection. A group of experts determined its validity, and Cronbach's alpha method was used to determine its reliability and internal consistency. The combined method of Vaikor-entropy was used to measure the resilience behavior of Rafsanjan pistachio and pomegranate farmers against climate change. Data processing was done using MATLAB 7.10, AMOSver24, SPSSver25, and Arc-GIS 10.5 software. The results show that the behavior of the studied farmers' resilience against climate change is at an average level. Also, after analysis, the studied villages were divided into six levels, ranging from lack of endurance to resilient. None of the villages fell into the lowest or highest level. There are 8 villages with a very weak resilience level and 22 villages in the weak resilience level. There are 26 villages at the relatively resistant level and 4 villages in the good resilience level. This finding indicates that the investigated pistachio growers are not in good shape in terms of climate change resilience, and they are unable to deal with larger climate change variations, which can have serious effects on the agricultural sector and the villages' livelihoods

Factors Influencing Self- Efficiency of Rural Women in Malard County

The main purpose of this descriptive-correlational research was to determine the factors underpinning rural women's self-efficiency in Malard County, Iran. The statistical population consisted of all rural women in Malard County (N = 23636). The sample size was determined using Cochran's formula (n=613) and they were selected by the stratified random sampling method. Data for the study were gathered with a structured questionnaire whose content validity was determined based on inputs by experts in the field and a review of the relevant literature. Cronbach's alpha test was used to assess the reliability of the questionnaire. The data analysis was performed using SPSS v.18. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient revealed a positive and significant correlation of educational and extension factors, participation in family decision-making, social factors, spatial dynamics, economic factors, self-esteem factors, and the capacity to deal with shocks and stresses with self- efficiency of rural women. There was also a negative and significant relationship between age and self-efficiency of rural women. The stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that economic factor (R2 = 0.437), educational and extension factor (R2 = 0.507), self-esteem factor (R2 = 0.539), and social factor (R2 = 0.545) were the most important factors contributing to the dependent variable (rural women self-efficiency), respectively

A Cooperative Micro-insurance to Cover Light Livestock Risks in the city of Mashhad

The main goal of this article was to design and implement a light livestock (sheep or goat) micro-insurance model in rural areas in the form of a cooperative insurance. In the first phase, to identify the pillars of cooperative micro-insurance (i.e., insurers, policyholders, actuary, and reinsurance), the grounded theory framework has been conducted by several in-depth interviews. In the second step, based on the pricing index method, we employed weather indices. To derive an appropriate model, we used Mashhad city’s data from period 1950 to 2018. Among all available weather indices, only “Lowest temperature”, “Highest temperature” and “Average temperature in winter, spring and summer” indices have significant impact on loss ratio. The well fitted time series model for these indices are ARIMA(0,1,1), ARIMA(0,1,1), ARIMA(0,1,1), ARIMA(0,1,1) and ARIMA(0,1,1), respectively. Moreover, the best fitted distribution for loss ratio and present value of claims are LogNormal and mixture LonNormal, respectively. Using these findings, price of the light livestock insurance coverage has been estimated. In the third phase, in the form of two types of reinsurance, stop-loss and proportional reinsurances with upper limit, the share of the main insurer (cooperative insurance fund) and the reinsurer (agricultural products insurance fund); premium and damages have been determined exactly. The results of this study showed that the use of this type of micro-insurance, in addition to eliminating moral hazards and adverse selection, will make the share of the reinsurer (Agricultural Products Insurance Fund) more homogeneous than the damages

The Perceptions of Graduate Students about Factors Influencing the Extension of Entrepreneurship Education in College of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Iran The perceptions of graduate students in the college of agriculture and natural resources abo

Abstract: Graduate students at the college of agriculture and natural resources were surveyed in order to explore their perception about the factors influencing the extension of entrepreneurship education in the Science and Research Branch at Islamic Azad University. The methodology used in this study involved a combination of descriptive and quantitative research. The total population was 313 master and doctorate students majoring in agriculture. The results of regression analysis showed that 50% of the variance in the perception of respondents could be explained by tendency toward being successful, being innovative, entrepreneurship education in universities, role of instructor and educational contents

Designing a model of job empowerment of rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization in Tehran province

AbstractThis study aimed to design a model of job empowerment of rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization in Tehran province. Statistical population included all rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization in Tehran province, comprising 495 women who 216 women were selected. The sampling method was stratified random sampling proportional to the size of towns of Tehran Province which towns were considered as the classes of sampling. A questionnaire designed by researcher was used to collect the data. The results showed that commitment and responsibility, economic factors, technical skills, psychological skills, social factors, creativity and solving problem, communication skills and grouping work, information and special knowledge, and educational factors had the most effects on main structure, respectively. Based on findings, it can be concluded that considered variables for job empowerment in the studied women were reliable and it can be used to investigate of the rural female-headed households under supervision of the Welfare Organization