Spatial analysis of fig product value chain performance in rural areas of Kohmareh district, Kohchenar county

1.Introduction
Agriculture plays a vital role in the rural economy And it helps other sectors by providing livelihood, food, raw materials and labor. This sector is mutually related to social, political, environmental, cultural and economic processes And it has a great impact on the spatial evolution of rural settlements. In Iran, agriculture has a large share in GDP, non-oil exports, employment and food needs. However, the lack of coordination between producers, consumers, input suppliers and logistics systems has led to disruptions in the production and marketing of agricultural products and unfair distribution of benefits in the value chain. The agricultural value chain includes different stages from production in the field to final consumption, each stage adding value to the product. The development of this chain can contribute to the equitable distribution of benefits, increasing the income of villagers, reducing poverty, improving the transformation and storage industries, and reducing waste. Ignoring value chains can lead to reduced investment and job opportunities. In Iran, horticulture, as one of the important sub-sectors of agriculture, plays a vital role in ensuring food security and livelihood of villagers. Iran is one of the top producers of horticultural products due to its climatic and geographical diversity. As one of these products, figs have a special place in Iran and the world. Iran ranks fifth in the world in terms of fig production, and Fars province is the main hub of this product in the country. In Kohmereh sector, despite the high capacity of fig production, problems such as lack of communication infrastructure, weak knowledge of farmers and limited access to financial resources have hindered the development of the value chain of this product. Farmers are mainly producers of raw products and do not benefit from the value added benefits of the chain. The purpose of this research is to investigate the performance of the fig value chain and its spatial distribution in the villages of Kohmere district, in order to identify challenges and provide improvement solutions.
 
2.Methodology
This study has investigated the fig product value chain with a practical orientation and descriptive-analytical goal. The data were collected through surveys and documents. In the documentary section, indicators and related components have been extracted from articles, books and reports. In the survey part, the data were collected through questionnaires with a relative scale and quantitatively. The data has been located at five levels, including village, district, city, province, and national level. Considering that the range of numbers related to the collected data was between 0 and 100 (percent); By dividing by 100, the data were placed in the range of 0 to 5. The validity of the questionnaires was verified by professors and experts and their reliability was checked with Cronbach's alpha coefficient for each link of the value chain and was within the acceptable range. The normality of the data was confirmed by the skewness and kurtosis test, and data analysis was done with one-sample t, Anova, and Duncan statistical tests in SPSS software. Also, ArcMap software and IDW interpolation tool were used to prepare the spatial distribution map of value chain performance.
 
3.Findings
In this study, one-sample t-test was used to analyze the performance of the fig product value chain at the level of sample villages. A fixed mean of 3 was considered as the median And circles whose average was greater than 3 were considered to indicate good performance, and circles whose average was less than 3 were considered to indicate inappropriate performance. The results showed that the supply chain has a good performance with an average of 3.260. The production circle also showed a favorable performance with an average of 4.060. However, processing and maintenance loops with a mean of 2.231, marketing and sales with a mean of 2.466, and consumption with a mean of 2.542 all performed poorly. Finally, the overall average value chain of fig product was obtained as 2.912, which indicates the unfavorable performance of this chain.
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) has been used to stratify villages in terms of fig product value chain performance. The results showed that the value of f in all links of the chain is positive and its significance level is less than 0.05. These results show that there is a significant difference between the studied villages in terms of value chain performance. Duncan's post hoc test was used to stratify villages in terms of fig product value chain performance. Villages were divided into four levels based on performance. In the first level, which indicates a weaker performance, there are four villages of Imamzadeh Pirabwalhasan, Upper Papun, Lower Papun and Gargdan. On the second level, Mordak and Chekak villages are located. The third level includes the village of Abul Hayat, and the fourth level, which indicates a more favorable performance, includes the villages of Baghistan Abul Hayat, Dosiran, and Baghistan Kandaei.
The analysis of the spatial distribution of the performance of the value chain of the fig product in the Kohmere sector shows that different areas of this sector have different conditions for the development of horticulture and agriculture. In the eastern and southeastern areas, including the villages of Baghistan Kandaei, Dusiran and Baghistan Abul Hayat, due to the mountainous nature, there is a suitable climate with sufficient rainfall and favorable soil, and there is a favorable performance and condition in horticulture, especially fig production. The northern and central regions, including the villages of Abul Hayat, Chekak and Mordak, have average yields and are engaged in agriculture in addition to horticulture. But the western and southern regions, especially the plains, have a weaker performance and are more focused on agriculture and the cultivation of summer crops.
 
Discussion and Conclusion
Agriculture and related businesses, especially in food value chains, play a key role in the production of agricultural products and increase their added value, and contribute to effective interaction between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Farmers face multiple challenges at each stage of the value chain, and small producers need careful management of the value chain to benefit from its benefits. The value chain of the fig product in Fars province, especially in the Kohmereh region, is very important. Studies show that different links of the fig value chain have different functions. Supply of inputs and production are performing well, but processing, storage, marketing and consumption are facing problems. These issues cause the users to have a small share of the added value and more profit goes to the middlemen. The eastern and southeastern regions of Kohmere perform better due to suitable climatic and geographical conditions. While the western and southern regions have a weaker performance in horticulture due to their focus on agricultural activities. Improving the value chain of figs requires measures such as government support, holding annual festivals, specialized training, reducing the system of self-purchase, creating cooperatives, investing in cold stores, packaging units and conversion industries, and developing agricultural tourism in order To increase the productivity and income of farmers and realize the sustainable development of the region.