Technical efficiency of tea processing units in Iran

This study used Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the technical efficiency of tea processing units in Rudsar County, northern Iran. The required data sets were collected in 2014 by filling out questionnaires and interviewing with the managers of tea processing units. As an innovation, satisfaction level of the main buyer of the produced tea was considered as output in DEA model. Based on the results of CCR input-oriented model, 19% of tea processing units with efficiency score of 1 were identified as efficient units and 81% of units had inefficient performance. The minimum technical efficiency score is equal to 0.479 and the average technical efficiency in these units is equal to 0.727. The results of correlation analysis showed that there was a direct and significant correlation between the time of rolling and the withering temperature with the technical performance of tea processing units

COMPREHENSIVE MODELING OF AFFECTING FACTORS ON THE ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES AMONG PADDY FARMERS IN NORTH OF IRAN

Peer reviewe

Factors affecting the adoption of new technologies by poplar growers in North Iran (Case study: Sowmeh Sara City)

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting the adoption of new technologies by poplar growers in Sowmeh Sara City, Guilan Province, north of Iran. The statistical population of the study includes poplar growers in the city. A total of 200 individuals were examined based on Cochran's formula and cluster sampling method at 2018. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the impact of attitudes toward technology, understanding the use of technology, technological features, and social participation on the adoption of new technologies. Understanding the use of technology and social participation, and their constituent items, have had the greatest impact on the adoption of new technologies by poplar growers in Sowmeh Sara City. Accurate and transparent information about the features of new technologies and their differences with traditional methods is the key strategy in introducing these technologies and it will lead to adoption by poplar growers

ADOPTION OF WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND ATTITUDINAL COMPONENTS

Agricultural production requires two main resources; water, as a source of life, and soil, as a living environment. Water and soil conservation is a critical issue in areas facing water and soil resource constraints. The purpose of this review paper is to provide an overview on the theoretical frameworks used in the analysis of the adoption of water and soil conservation practices. Different models and frameworks have been used in the analysis of the acceptance and/or adoption of new technologies and practices; these include Technology acceptance model, Motivational model, Theory of reasoned action, theory of planned behavior, Innovation diffusion theory and the Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. The Icek Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has been used as a conceptual framework in many studies on the factors affecting the adoption of water and soil conservation practices. The TPB allows examining the impact of individual factors (i.e. attitude), social norms (cf. subjective norms) and situational factors (i.e. perceived behavioral control) on the adoption of practices. It posits that if a person assesses the suggested behavior as positive (cf. attitude) and if he/she thinks that others want them to perform the behavior (cf. subjective norm), these result in a higher intention and motivation to do so. However, the TPB has some limitations such as not considering environmental/contextual and economic factors that may affect the individual's intention to perform a behavior. Therefore, despite the widespread use of the TPB model, the paper concludes that the UTAUT seems a better model in understanding the dynamics of acceptance and adoption of water and soil conservation practices

Investigating Market Integration and Price Transmission of Different Rice Qualities in Iran

Rice production in most of Asian countries has been increased more rapidly than population and this has been led to increase in supply and proportionately decrease in the real price of rice in world and domestic markets. Furthermore, together with growth in production and national gross income of the country per-capita income has been increased and also demand for rice at national and international level quality has been increased. In this case studying the market conditions of different qualities of rice including marketing margins, causative relations among the prices, market integrations in long term and finally price transferring and market integration in short term is the important consequence that can help policymakers and planners in their decision makings on research, production, distribution and marketing of rice strategic product. So, using the statistics from Jihad Agriculture Organization of Guilan Province in case of the price of rice qualities (items) including Sadri momtaz (S1), Sadri darge yek (S2), Sadri mamooli (S3) and Khazar (K1) during 1999-2009 market conditions of different qualities of rice was studied. Results show that impulses in wholesale prices in Khazar rice rapidly influence on-farm prices, however, in case of other rice qualities the rate and speed of this influence is low. But in wholesale-retail market for Sadri quality rice impulses influence strongly in wholesale price and this shows intense integration of these two rice markets in Iran. It is suggested that according to the different quality of rice verities, support policy design and decision making process assigned separatel

Bank Credits and Investment Growth of Agricultural Sector in Iran

This study were examined relationship between bank credits and investment growth of agricultural sector in Iran during the period of 1982-2011 by auto regressive distribution lag bounds test approach. Basically, the growth investing of the agricultural sector in Iran is related to oil revenues, bank credits, value added of agriculture sector and capital stock. The results confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between variables in model. In addition, according to the results, bank credit is the most significant variable in explaining the growth investing, so that increases access to it will encourage growth investment of the agricultural sector in Iran. The estimations show that elasticity of bank credits, oil revenues, stock investment and value added are 0.103, 0.015, 0.049 and -0.058 in the agricultural sector respectively

Price Relationships and Spillover Effects of Price Volatilities in Iran's Rice Market

Rice plays an especial role in Iranian households' nutrition basket. The volatilities of its price during recent years caused consumers' dissatisfaction. This paper investigates spillover effects of price volatilities (at the wholesale and retail levels) in the Guilan Province rice market. The Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Hetroscedasitic (GARCH) model was used for the monthly time period of 1999 to 2013. As the results of the unit root tests showed, the monthly time series of Sadri-Momtaz variety wholesale price and Sadri-Momtaz variety retail price have unit roots in zero frequency or they are I(1). Considering the amounts of trace and maximum eigen values statistics, there is a long-run relationship between Sadri- Momtaz variety wholesale and retail monthly price time series. Coefficients of normalized cointegration vector showed that, with one percent increase (decrease) in retail price, it would be likely that wholesale price could increase (decrease) by 0.99 percent. Results of GRACH model revealed that spillover effects exist from the retail price to the wholesale price and vice versa. In addition, price volatility in retail and wholesale levels had positive and significant effects on its own level price volatility. Accordingly, providing proper policy packages in both supply and demand sides were advised

Determining and ranking export goal markets of Iran's packaged Saffron

Considering the position of saffron in Iran's non-petroleum export basket, establishing proper export strategy through concentrating marketing activities in markets with high priority is inevitable. This study ranks export goal markets of different Iran's packaged saffron using annual data of 2010-2012. To this end, three approaches of numerical taxonomy, TOPSIS and weighted riddling were applied. Results revealed that priorities for exporting different saffron powder in 10 to 30 g packages include Spain, UAE and Italy, for saffron in less than 10 g packages these priorities include Saudi Arabia and Spain, for saffron in 10 to 30 g packages (tariff code 09102013) these priorities include UAE, Spain and Saudi Arabia. Numerical taxonomy approach showed that for different saffron powder in 10 to 30 g packages Saudi Arabia and Spain, saffron in less than 10 g packages Saudi Arabia and Spain, and for saffron in 10 to 30 g packages (tariff code 09102013) United Arab of Emirates, Spain and China are heterogeneous markets. Results of TOPSIS approach showed that for exporting different saffron powder in 10 to 30 g packages and saffron in less than 10 g packages Spain is the first priority and for saffron in 10 to 30 g packages (tariff code 09102013) United Arab of Emirates is the first priority. In weighted riddling approach according to the experts' viewpoints the weight of import demand index considered as 50% and the other indices weights equal 8.3%. Results of this approach revealed that for exporting different saffron powder in 10 to 30 g packages and saffron in less than 10 g packages Spain was the first priority. Also, for exporting saffron in 10 to 30 g packages (tariff code 09102013) United Arab of Emirates was the first priority. Based on these results, for ranking markets in order to export different packaged saffron, using weighted riddling and TOPSIS methods results and for ranking homogenous markets (considering used indices) applying numerical taxonomy results were advised