Women and Rural Development in Iran: Analysis of the Effect of Socio- Economic Changes on Women’ Work in Agriculture

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/2179460X19427There are a number of observable and marked changes in the economic, social, and also cultural status of women's life in rural areas. This study investigates factors which influence economic participation of women in north of Iran’s rural areas. The influence of government development policy, such as education and Income generating on rural women was sought and investigated in this study. This study particularly focuses on 3 important factors such as “ family income”, “ women’s education “ and “economic class of family” which represent economic, social and cultural status. The descriptive survey method has been applied in this research. The statistical population was 108682 households, from which 131 families were randomly selected. Data has gathered through questionnaires. The results suggest that However, rural development strategies would solve one problem for the women and create another. This paper argues that although rural development may have been beneficial to women and the society as a whole, it has implications for gender roles that go beyond the purview of women’s empowerment. These symptoms reflect a lack of structured development strategy to create new opportunities in these areas. As a result, despite the increasing in women education and family income there is a high rate of unemployment, because the current development policy clearly has failed to introduce new opportunities for women in labor market.There are a number of observable and marked changes in the economic, social, and also cultural status of women's life in rural areas. This study investigates factors which influence economic participation of women in north of Iran’s rural areas. The influence of government development policy, such as education and Income generating on rural women was sought and investigated in this study. This study particularly focuses on 3 important factors such as “ family income”, “ women’s education “ and “economic class of family” which represent economic, social and cultural status. The descriptive survey method has been applied in this research. The statistical population was 108682 households, from which 131 families were randomly selected. Data has gathered through questionnaires. The results suggest that However, rural development strategies would solve one problem for the women and create another. This paper argues that although rural development may have been beneficial to women and the society as a whole, it has implications for gender roles that go beyond the purview of women’s empowerment. These symptoms reflect a lack of structured development strategy to create new opportunities in these areas. As a result, despite the increasing in women education and family income there is a high rate of unemployment, because the current development policy clearly has failed to introduce new opportunities for women in labor market

Comprehensive identification, localization, and validation of innovation measurement indices at the farm level in Iran

IntroductionInnovation is a fundamental component of agricultural infrastructure, fostering the sector’s development and productivity. Innovation indices tailored to the farm level are benchmarks for assessing innovation within this agricultural context. Therefore, this study aims to discover, localize, and validate comprehensive innovation measurement indices at the farm level. A distinguishing feature of this research is its endeavor to discover and validate a comprehensive tool for measuring innovation at the farm level. Notably, there has been no prior research on discovering comprehensive innovation indices at the farm level, marking a novel aspect of this study.Method and resultsThe current research is applied in terms of its purpose and falls into the category of mixed research (quantitative and qualitative), as well as exploratory and descriptive research. This study has been conducted in three stages: The first phase involved reviewing existing literature and extracting indices for measuring innovation. In the second phase, a tool was designed specifically to gauge innovation at the farm level. The third phase entailed face and content validation of the identified indices. This validation process was conducted quantitatively and qualitatively through surveys of subject-matter experts in Iran, and by calculating the content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI).To measure innovation at the farm level, 90 items across 7 dimensions (education, infrastructure, market sophistication, business sophistication, knowledge and technology outputs, creative outputs, and innovative outputs) were extracted, localized, and developed. According to the results, dimensions such as innovative outputs (product innovation, process innovation, and marketing innovation), education (farmers’ education status in technology and innovation), and infrastructure (familiarity, access, and application of Information and Communication Technology [ICT]) demonstrated high credibility based on CVR and CVI scores.ConclusionThe utilization of innovation assessment indices can help mitigate the challenges associated with evaluating innovation status on farms, thereby enhancing their condition and increasing farmers’ profitability. Accurate and reliable data on innovation status empower farmers in market competition and improve economic performance. Attention to innovation and the use of assessment tools can facilitate the attraction of new investors to the agricultural industry. Furthermore, improving agricultural processes through innovative technologies can contribute to the preservation of natural resources and the reduction of environmental pollution

Consumers' attitude toward participation in community-supported aquaculture: a case of Kurdistan province in the west of Iran.

peer reviewedConsidering the increasing importance of sustainable operations in the agricultural sector and the relationship between producers and consumers, the current study was to determine customers' attitudes on participation in community-supported aquaculture programs in Kurdistan province (in the west of Iran). The present study was a survey, non-experimental, applied, and descriptive-correlational research. Using a literature review and field studies, factors affecting consumers' attitudes have been extracted. Then, to determine validity, the questionnaire was given to a panel of subject matter experts. Furthermore, to assess the reliability of the research instrument, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated. The results showed the good validity and reliability of the research tool. Moreover, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the proposed model. The results showed that among the factors affecting the attitude of consumers, the price of aquatic products had the first place, which has been neglected in the previous studies. In this regard, it was suggested that by creating support funds and facilities for the participation of consumers in community-supported aquaculture programs, setting standards for healthy aquatic products, and producing programs related to the introduction of community-supported aquaculture programs on the radio and television, the attitude of the consumers can be improved

Predicting the distribution of European Hop Hornbeam: application of MaxEnt algorithm and climatic suitability models

peer reviewedOstrya carpinifolia Scop. (European Hop Hornbeam) is a native tree in Europe as a species of the Betulaceae family. European Hop Hornbeam has a significant value for the European flora, and assessing the effects of climate change on habitats of species is essential for its sustainability. With this point of view, the main aim of the research was to predict the present and future potential distribution of European Hop Hornbeam across Europe. ‘‘IPSL-CM6A-LR’’ climate change model, ninety-six occurrence data, and seven bioclimatic variables were used to predict potential distribution areas with MaxEnt 3.4.1 program. This study applied a change analysis by comparing the present predicted potential distribution of European Hop Hornbeam with the future predicted potential distribution under the 2041–2060 and 2081–2100 SSP2 4.5 and SSP5 8.5 climate change scenarios. Study results indicated that the sum of suitable and highly suitable areas of European Hop Hornbeam is calculated to be 1,136,706 km2 for the current potential distribution. On the contrary, 2,107,187 km2 of highly suitable and suitable areas will be diminished in the worst case by 2100. The most affected bioclimatic variable is BIO 19 (Precipitation of Coldest Quarter), considering the prediction of the species distribution. These findings indicated that the natural ecosystems of the Mediterranean region will shift to northern areas. This study represented a reference for creating a strategy for the protection and conservation of the species in the future

Unveiling energy security in agriculture through vital indicators extraction and insights

Abstract Despite advancements in meeting various human needs, energy supply remains a top priority for all countries worldwide. The escalating energy consumption in the agricultural sector underscores the necessity to scrutinize its energy usage. Presently, there exists an absence of a precise tool for accurately measuring this consumption. Hence, this study aims to identify indicators for measuring energy security in agriculture, conducted in three phases: content analysis, indicator validation, and field investigation. In the content analysis phase, energy security indicators were extracted and grouped into four categories: accessibility, availability, utilization, and sustainability. Following this, a two-stage validation process led to the identification of 18 indicators for assessing energy security in agriculture. In the field phase, a tailored questionnaire was distributed to 160 randomly selected farmers. The findings revealed that the availability component held the highest rank in establishing energy security, with an average score of 3.31. However, the current status of the access component indicates a more unfavorable situation compared to other dimensions. Consequently, to achieve energy security in agriculture, particular emphasis should be placed on enhancing energy access. Key areas to address include reducing transportation costs and minimizing the use of chemical pesticides. This indicates a necessity for focused interventions aimed at improving both energy access and sustainability within the agricultural sector. These efforts would contribute to enhancing economic efficiency and promoting environmental conservation

Sustainable rural development in Northwest Iran: proposing a wellness-based tourism pattern using a structural equation modeling approach

Abstract Today, wellness tourism has become a thriving industry. In wellness tourism, the tourists travel to relieve the pressures of ordinary life and become refreshed with no medicinal intervention. In wellness tourism, tourists seldom have any specific physical illnesses; rather, they are interested in enjoying the healing properties of certain regions. In this non-experimental research, a structural equation model was used to analyze the data to explore various aspects of well-being and identify the variables that influence wellness tourism. The statistical population included 237,415 tourists who visited the tourist attractions of Sarab County in Iran. The sample size was determined 384 subjects. The results showed that destination location in terms of climate, positive image of the region, excellent food, as well as physical, traditional, and historical appeals of the region, were the factors that had the highest effect on determining the destination of wellness tourism. In general, this study contributed to the development of wellness tourism in the world including Iran. The practical steps were taken based on the strategies, and approaches presented to reduce stress which enhances well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak

The role of rural production cooperatives in improving rural households’ welfare in the Miandoab Township

Context and purpose: Rural production cooperatives play an important role in sustainable rural development and are one of the advanced stages of cooperation. Rural production cooperatives play a very important role in reducing rural poverty by increasing production efficiency and can provide services that governments are unable to provide for poor people. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of rural production cooperatives in improving the status of the 12 components of Legatum welfare in rural areas.Methodology/approach. The present research was conducted using a survey and descriptive-correlational methodology. The statistical population of the present study consisted of 17,493 rural household members and non-members in rural production cooperatives of Miandoab city and 377 households were randomly selected. Data were collected through structured interviews and analyzed using SPSS27 and LISREL software 8.8. Findings and conclusions. The results showed that rural production cooperatives play an effective role in improving the 12 structures of Legatum welfare (including safety and security; personal freedom; governance; social capital; investment environment; entrepreneurial conditions; market access and infrastructure; economic conditions; living conditions; health; education and natural environment). Meanwhile, rural production cooperatives played the biggest role in improving the education component. In the end, practical suggestions were presented. Originality. Previous studies have investigated the role of one or two components of welfare, and none of the previous studies have addressed the role of all components of welfare simultaneously, which is considered among the innovations of the current research

A comprehensive study on criteria of sustainable urban waste management system: using content analysis

Abstract The present study was developed to comprehensively analyze experts' views and content of documents focusing on goals and criteria of sustainable waste management system in Tehran, Iran. To this end, the suitable goals for sustainable waste management system in Tehran city were adopted from domestic, national and international documents. For this purpose, 27 national and international documents and 2 domestic documents related to waste management were selected and analyzed by using content analysis according to Gall, 1994. Further, in order to formulate goals in case of bottlenecks and challenges of waste management in Tehran, the focus group technique was used based on Stewart and Shamdasani, 2014. At this stage, 24 key experts in the field of waste management were interviewed in the form of 4 focus groups. Data collection were performed via audio recording and word-for-word implementation of conversations, taking notes and writing field notes. The data collection continued until reaching theoretical saturation. Next, content analysis and coding methods were used to analyze the data. Finally, the goals of waste management were divided into five general categories including: institutional (with emphasis on the integration and inclusion of the key elements of the urban waste management system), technical and infrastructural (with emphasis on the optimization of existing processes in the use of urban waste management technologies), environmental (with emphasis on minimizing the adverse health and environmental effects of the urban waste management system, economic (with emphasis on the economic and financial sustainability of the urban waste management system), and cultural-social (with emphasis on attracting the maximum participation of citizens and service recipients). The results clearly showed that sustainable waste management measures in Tehran should follow these five components in order to reduce the problems caused by unrealistic waste management and make sustainable use of basic, natural, financial and human resources

Investigating Subjective and Objective Quality of Life in Rural Areas: the Case of Tehran Province in Iran

peer reviewedGiven the importance of measuring QOL and the need for sound and efficient planning to improve and enhance the well-being of citizens, the objective of this study was to investigate QOL in rural areas of Tehran province, Iran. To this end, the relevant literature and secondary sources were used to develop a questionnaire whose validity was determined by a panel of experts. To the best knowledge of the authors, no similar study has assessed QOL in rural areas of Tehran province and none of them has compared objective and subjective QOL in rural areas. The findings showed that in terms of objective QOL, which indicates the minimum living standards, the villagers in Tehran province were in a moderate to high status, but in the subjective QOL, about 20% of the villagers were rated as poor. According to the findings, there was a significant difference between the residents of different rural areas of Tehran in terms of objective and subjective QOL at the 99% level, but the differences were not the same. This calls for policymakers’ attention. In this regard, policies should be put on the planning agenda to reduce rural migration by adopting a coordinated approach to rural and urban development and improving the physical and environmental conditions of rural communities to provide welfare services and reduce the disparity between urban and rural areas

Factors Affecting Wheat Producers’ Water Conservation Behavior: Evidence from Iran

The present research aimed to identify and analyze the factors influencing water conservation behaviors (WCBs) and determine the most important ones. The research adopted a causal-relational method with a questionnaire compiled for data collection. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire based on the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha for different sections were between 0.71 and 0.95. The statistical population included 5473 wheat farmers in Bukan Township, Iran. Krejcie and Morgan tables were used to calculate the sample size of 357 people. All these farmers have key information about the effects of climate change (e.g., drought) and are pioneers in using adaptation and water conservation strategies in wheat production. In this study, the sample size was determined using stratified sampling method with proportional assignment. The questionnaire validity was approved by the validity expert board. According to the findings of the exploratory factor analysis, the most important factors influencing WCBs of wheat producers included “institutional”, “economic”, “natural”, “extensional”, “social”, “attitudinal”, and “self-identity” ones. These seven factors together accounted for 47.498% of the variance in WCBs of wheat producers. The relationship between independent variables and wheat growers’ WCBs was determined by Pearson correlation coefficients. According to the results, economic, institutional, natural, attitudinal, social, and self-identity factors had a significant relationship with WBC at 1% error level. The regression results also showed that among the studied variables, economic and extensional factors had the greatest impact on wheat growers’ WCBs. The results can help managers and planners determine policies that focus more on economic and extensional factors that have been neglected in previous studies