Social and psychological factors affecting the use of appropriate agricultural operations in Khoramabad County

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Rural Development, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran

2 PhD Student, Department of Extension, Communication and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Zanjan University, Iran

Abstract

Introduction
In recent decades, there has been an increasing demand for sustainable agricultural development in response to unconventional agricultural practices. On the other hand, the demand of consumers for safe and quality products has caused the use of appropriate agricultural operations more than in the past. There are various methods to reduce the consumption of chemical fertilizers, the most important of which is the use of appropriate agricultural operations such as the use of organic fertilizers, soil testing, the implementation of rotation system and fallowing of land. Appropriate agricultural operations such as the use of organic fertilizers and environmentally friendly behaviors have excellent features such as complete nutrients, sustainable fertilizer efficiency, improving soil structure and environmental protection, which play an important role in the quality and safety of agricultural products and reducing consumption. It has chemical fertilizers. One of the main characteristics of this sustainable agricultural system is the protection of available natural resources and the non-destruction of the environment in addition to maintaining and increasing the productivity of the surface. Therefore, interest in sustainable agriculture and proper farming practices increased. In fact, the issue of preserving the environment is one of the most important challenges of mankind, and the production of healthy agricultural products in compliance with global standards, along with the preservation of the environment, has been considered in achieving sustainability and sustainable agriculture. In line with this importance, the present study was conducted with the general aim of identifying factors influencing the use of appropriate agricultural operations among farmers in Khorram Abad County.
 

Methodology

The statistical population of the research included all the farmers of Khoramabad county. Sample size using Cochran's sampling formula, 380 farmers were selected for the study by stratified sampling method with proportional assignment. The research instrument was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was done in two sections of descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS software.
 

Findings

In the research, the health belief model was used as the theoretical framework of the research. The results showed that the model used in this field was very efficient and could explain 62% of the variance of suitable agricultural operations. The results showed the effect of variables of perceived sensitivity and severity, perceived benefits and obstacles, self-efficacy and action guidelines have a significant effect on the use of appropriate agricultural operations. The results of this research can be of great help in environmental policy making in order to preserve the environment and promote healthy products in the society.
 
 

Discussion and Conclusion

His research was one of the first attempts to develop suitable agricultural operations in Lorestan province. In this research, the health belief theory was used. The results showed that this theory is very efficient in this field because it is able to explain 62.6% of the use of appropriate agricultural operations and all the hypotheses predicted in this research were significant. Despite its valuable results, this research had three limitations (1). This research was able to explain 62.6% of the variance of using appropriate agricultural operations, although this amount of variance is an acceptable amount from the point of view of social science research, but still part of the variance remains, it is better in future research by identifying more important variables and adding It will improve the explanatory power of the health belief model in this field. (2). In this research, only the health belief model was used, it is better to use other psychological-social models such as the theory of planned behavior in future research, so that by comparing their explanatory power, the most efficient theory in this field can be known. (3). The third limitation of this research is the selection of respondents. People who are supporters of the environment may have more motivation to answer this research. Therefore, it is better to exercise caution in future research.

Keywords

References

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Village and Space Sustainable Development
Volume 5, Issue 4 - Serial Number 20
November 2024
Pages 115-136

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