علی ایزدی

Purpose- This study aimed to analyze the effects of saffron cultivation on the quality of life of rural households in Rostaq Dehestan in Khalilabad county. Design/methodology/approach- This is an applied study based on a descriptive-analytical method used to examine the understudy parameters. The data were collected from 337 sample households based on field studies and by the Cochran sampling method. Then, the data were also collected based on selected indicators and using a household questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated by the university professors of geography and rural planning and agricultural promotion and training. The validity coefficient of the questionnaire was obtained using the SPSS software of 0.85. Kendall's statistical tests and one-way variance analysis was used in SPSS software to analyze the collected data. Findings- The research findings show that Neghab village with a similarity index of 0.48 has the greatest impact of saffron cultivation on the quality of life of the households among the villages of Rostaq Dehestan. On the other hand, the results of the Kendall test confirmed the relationship between saffron cultivation and quality of life with 99% confidence. Moreover, the results of one-way ANOVA showed that the economic dimension among other effective dimensions of the saffron cultivation on the quality of rural households is more pronounced. Research limitations/implications- The lack of access to statistical information when visiting the Agricultural Jihad of Khalilabad, Khalilabad Governorship, the Natural Resources Administration of Khalilabad, as well as completing the questionnaire depending on the issue at the village level are some of the challenges of the present study. Practical implications- According to the research findings, solutions to promote and train the ways for production and productivity of households in this village are recommended for the cultivation of this supra-strategic product (Saffron). Originality/value- The present study is important since it focuses on the impact of saffron cultivation for improving the quality of life of rural households with respect to the income generation process of this product.

Purpose- Due to its special geographical location in the arid and semi-arid climate belt of the world, Iran suffers from water scarcity and limited usable water resources, notably considering the population growth and increasing demand for water and food. High water consumption in agriculture as one of the main water use sectors is estimated as 90% of total water, thereby necessitating consideration of water conservation methods. However, there are a number of barriers to use the current water conservation practices. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in Shahrabaad rural district, Bardaskan city. Design/methodology/approach- This is an applied study in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, carried out using the random sampling method. The sample size was 338 households in the research area which was determined using Cochran's formula. Data were collected based on field and library studies. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by university professors and experts. The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.78 using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Moreover, the TOPSIS fuzzy model was used to rank the villages in terms of the effect of barriers to using the new irrigation technologies, and SPSS software was used for analyzing the research questions. Findings: Results showed that the economic dimension was the most important barriers to using the new irrigation technologies. In addition, low-socioeconomic status of the farmers and small loans are the most prominent barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in the research rural district. Research limitations/implications - unavailability of statistical information when referring to the agricultural jihad and the governor’s office, and completing the questionnaire, depending on the subject at the village level, is one of the main challenges of the present study. Practical implications - Given the specific research findings, it is necessary for agriculture and water policy-makers take serious measures concerning the incentive (low-interest and long-term loans, micro-land integration and the like) and punitive (imposing restrictions on traditional land users and stipulating other supports to change the irrigation method) instruments, because otherwise water restriction and the consequences of water scarcity will be challenging in  many areas and even may lead to a serious crisis. Originality / value: This study is prima facie significant in terms of statement of the reasons for the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies from the users' perspective and then, in terms of a more detailed analysis of the research findings to change the implementation of traditional irrigation methods.

Purpose- Supporting and stimulating agricultural development has a decisive role in rural development and is considered the main basis of rural development. Therefore, the agricultural sector and rural areas in Iran are still far from the real potentials for development. Therefore, this study aimed at the consequences of creative agriculture and its role in the development of rural areas of Roshtkhar County in Razavi Khorasan province.Design/methodology/approach-This research was an applied one, conducted with descriptive-correlation and causal-relational methods. The statistical population of the research consists of all heads of rural households (21,785) in Roshtkhar County, using the Cochran formula, 377 farmers from the heads of households were selected as a sample. The main tools of the research were researcher-made questionnaire, field observations and library studies. Then, the questionnaires were distributed in 20 villages of the study area. SPSS software and structural equation modeling approach were employed to analyze the data.Findings: The results of the fitted model showed that creative agriculture had the greatest effects on economic (0.405) and social (0.370) variables. The results of investigating the status of creative agriculture in the study area showed that more than 60% of rural farmer households stated that creative agriculture has been able to play a significant role in rural development.Limitations/Strategies: The dispersion of the studied villages to fill out the questionnaire depending on the topic at the village level, the lack of awareness of some rural households towards conducting research projects in order to complete the questionnaire, and finally the costs of conducting this research are challenging of this study.Practical solutions: Finally, according to the results, solutions such as the full implementation of modern irrigation systems, changing the cultivation pattern and using up-to-date machinery and tools in the agricultural sector can improve the results and the consequences of creative agriculture and its role in rural development in the villages and the implementation strategies of this solution are considered necessary.Original/value- This study is significant as the recognition of different issues of creative agriculture at the regional level can help to take an important step in order to improve the condition of rural households in different dimensions (economic, social-cultural, institutional-managerial and physical).

Purpose- Village as a residential system has always suffered a lot of damage due to natural hazards such as drought throughout history, and due to the dependence of the rural economy on the agricultural sector, any threat against this sector leads to the weakening of the economic foundations, the village and eventually the economic stagnation of the country. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to evaluate the drought-resilient measures to reduce the vulnerability of rural households located in Rastaq district in Khalil-Abad City, Khorasan-Razavi Province.Design/methodology/approach- The type of research is applied research, and the data was collected by applying a descriptive-analytical method by using documentary sources and field studies (questionnaire). The statistical population of the research is comprised of the heads of rural households living in the study area. As a result, 337 people were selected using Cochran's method. For ranking and spatial analysis of the village, Copras and Vicor techniques were used, and Shannon technique and SPSS software were used for statistical data analysis.Findings- The results showed that among the weights obtained from the paired comparison of the dimensions raised in resilience measures with drought in reducing the vulnerability of rural households, modern irrigation measures with a score of (0.290) have the highest score in resilience measures. Avarane took over with the drought. Finally, in the study area, Niqab village performed better than other villages in terms of resilience measures in dealing with drought.Research limitations/implications- Not having access to statistical information when referring to Jihad Agriculture and Governorship, as well as filling out the questionnaire depending on the topic at the village level and the costs of conducting this research are among the challenges of the present research.Practical implications- In the end, according to the obtained results, it is considered necessary to provide solutions for the resilience of rural households at the level of the villages of this district and to implement the solutions.Originality / value- The present research is significant due to its expression and recognition of different issues surrounding the resilience of households in the face of drought. An important step can be taken in the direction of reducing the vulnerability of rural households to deal with drought in the coming years.