درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose- One of the most important strategies facing drought and agriculture water shortage in North-West Iran is developing pressurized irrigation systems (PISs). In this regard, the present study aims to investigate the factors determining the adoption of the PISs by farmers in Ardabil Province. Design/methodology/approach- First, by drought zoning of Ardabil Province (by SPI method and GIS software), three regions including regions with mild, moderate and severe drought levels were determined. In the second step, using multi-stage cluster sampling, adopter and non-adopter farmers of the PISs were selected from three regions of study (n= 415). Also, the logistic regression was used to determine the affective and distinctive factors of farmers' groups. Findings- According to the results of logistic regression analysis, the predictive power of model was 0.622 and the sensitivity of the regression model to determine the model validation was obtained as 85.8%. Also, from among 17 factors of study, 7 factors of education level, farm income, knowledge about the PISs, the infrastructure for PISs, the effect of local weather conditions, the trust towards the optimality of PISs and the improvement in farm water management, positively impacted on the adoption and use of PISs. Among effective factors, knowledge about the PISs (Wald: 32.676), the trust towards the optimality of PISs (Wald: 27.855) and the infrastructure for PISs (Wald: 21.648) were the most important factors predicting to the decision to adopt and use PISs among farmers. Research limitations/implications- Since the study was carried out in a large area of the province, accessing the farmers and experts in the Ardabil Province was difficult and time consuming. Practical implications- The agricultural extension and education programs and PRA method, can provide the basis for the adoption of PISs among most of the farmers. Also, the infrastructure programs for the implementation and setting up of PISs are the priority of governmental projects to develop the PISs in the regions of the study. Originality/value- It seems that identifying and providing the necessary infrastructure for implementing pressurized irrigation programs should be based on the scientific needs assessment of the agricultural fields’ conditions in different regions. Also, proper the appropriate government funding and financial support for the appropriate infrastructure of PISs will increase the willingness of farmers to adopt and use of the PISs.

Purpose- Today, tourism has become the largest industry in the world with both direct and indirect socio-economic effects. Given the diverse climatic conditions and limited water resources for agriculture in Iran, among various forms of tourism, tourism in desert areas with a multifaceted approach can narrow the gap caused by environmental constraints and play an important role in the development of different areas such as eastern regions of Isfahan province, which have many tourist attractions. In this research, we try to identify and evaluate land suitability for tourism development in counties located in desert areas of Isfahan province. Design/methodology/approach- In this research, the multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method was used in the GIS environment. Considering the variety of criteria used, before preparing the final map of land suitability, selected criteria were categorized in different groups with regard to topography, climate, land covers and animal species diversity, environment, hazards, socio-economic aspects. Then, land suitability classes in each of the mentioned groups were identified. In the following step, the maps produced in each of these groups were given to the relevant experts to generate the final map of the land suitability according to the current situation, weigh the selected criteria based on the AHP paired comparison, and implement the results of this comparison in the GIS environment through applying weighted linear combination (WLC) method. Findings - The results of multi-criteria evaluation showed that the study area has highly suitable lands in almost all assessment groups, and there were no specific human and natural constraints in this area. The result of the final land suitability map also showed that 21044 square kilometers of the total area (nearly 30 percent) were ranked in the “very suitable” and “suitable” classes, indicating high capacity and capabilities or minimum natural and human constraints for tourism development in the region. Practical implications- Making use of the capabilities of desert areas in eastern regions of Isfahan province and providing the necessary conditions for tourism development with regard to the particular natural and human conditions of this region can offer the best available, affordable, and effective alternatives in the short term to tackle the current problems based on the principles of sustainable development in these areas. The problems include socioeconomic inequalities between developed and underdeveloped regions of Isfahan province, limited water resources for development of agricultural activities, and low ecological capacity of the region for some activities especially in vulnerable communities.

Purpose: Today, many scholars believe that accelerating the exchange of knowledge and information with emphasis on the central role of knowledge and science is crucial to achieve comprehensive development. In fact, a knowledge-based society is recognized as a paradigm for development. Investing in knowledge-based foundations in the rural areas can also lead the rural community towards the future and play a role in national and international arenas. The purpose of this study is to model structural equations affecting knowledge-based realization in Dehkhoda Village in Hamidieh County. Design/methodology/approach: The design of this study is of applied-theoretical type and adopts a descriptive-analytical research method. Research data were also extracted from library resources and field surveys. For this purpose, by visiting statistical centers and exploring through statistics, a comprehensive dataset was compiled for the research along with a self-administered questionnaire. The population of this study were the residents of Dehkhoda Village inhabiting permanently in this village in 2018 (n=1980). Of this statistical population, a sample size of n=321 was selected using Cochran formula for rural community. Pearson correlation coefficient, single sample T, multivariate regression and path analysis were used to analyze the data and test hypotheses. These tests were performed using SPSS.22 and Amos software. Findings: The results suggested that information and communication technology (ICT), education, management, government agencies and NGOs (as independent variables) were positively and directly related to knowledge-based realization (as dependent variable) in Dehkhoda Village. SEM indicators also exhibited that the model developed in this study is backed up by the research data, with all indicators confirming the utility of the SEM. According to the results of research, it can be argued that public satisfaction with management indicators, government and non-governmental organizations is higher than average, whereas satisfaction with ICT and education is lower than average. Practical implications: Rural knowledge-centeredness requires decentralization, reduction in government tenure, the reinforcement of voluntary and non-voluntary public institutions in villages, the modification of rural management laws and regulations to create and integrate rural management system, the assignment of a large portion of the government's executive duties and responsibilities to rural sheriffdom, and the transfer of facilities and financial resources to it.

Purpose- One of the key challenges in the border areas of Sistan is the existence of different ethnic groups and nationalities with different sense of place and identity belonging. The ethnic and national differences has created a turbulent and chaotic landscape in border villages of Sistan and caused a lot of damages to the sense of place and identity in affected areas. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the Afghans and the sense of place in the border villages of Sistan. Design/methodology/approach- The research method is descriptive -analytical and is based on library research and survey. The sample consisted of 31 villages inhabited by Afghans with 3669 households. A sample of 347 households were selected using Cochran's formula and were interviewed based on random sampling. The data were analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient in SPSS Software. Findings- The results of the test show that there is a significant relationship between the number of Afghan residents and sense of place in the studied area with a confidence level of 99 percent, so that by increasing Afghan households, sense of place decreases in the rural area and by reducing households in the rural area, the sense of place will increase. According to the results, it can be expressed that informal settlement of Afghans caused a reduction of sense of place in border villages of Sistan. Research limitations/implications- One of the restrictions on the way of the research can be lack of accurate statistics on the informal settlers living in the border villages of Sistan. Among the strategies that can be offered to improve regional identity, is a complete identification of the illegal migrants, the setting of firm rules for their control, and the monitoring of the security agencies on immigration. Practical implications- In order to solve this problem, the exact number of immigrants (illegal) settled in the area should be counted and according to law, they should be either granted citizenship or returned to Afghanistan. In the meantime, the best way is to grant citizenship to immigrants because evidence suggests that the majority of refugees return to their country after being fired from Iran. Accordingly, it is possible to confirm Afghan refugees by granting Iranian citizenship, national identity, and immigration in the destination country (Iran). Originality/value- So far, no attention to the sense of place of cross-border migrants (Afghans) to Iran, especially in border villages. Nevertheless, the present study has authenticity and practical value. Users of the results of this research are rural and regional planners, provincial government of Sistan and Baluchistan and its departments and agencies under the Department of Afghan citizens in the country.

Purpose - The objective of the study is to assess the satisfaction rate of village residents from life quality as a factor affecting immigration, together with the sense of belonging as a factor preventing immigration, and the correlation thereof, among the residents of Khosrowabad village (statistical population=672) in Konani district, Kuhdasht county. Design/methodology/approach- The method adopted is descriptive-analytic. The sample collected by Cochran sampling method constitutes 262 residents. The data required in this study are obtained by questionnaire and the descriptive inferential statistics is applied for data analysis. Findings: The results reveal that the satisfaction rate of residents from life quality in Khosrowabad village is lower than that of the average. The satisfaction rate of males with 2.88% is higher than that of females with 2.85%. The regression analysis results indicate that the economic index with 0.244 β is the most effective on life quality. The analysis of the sense of belonging revealed that the rate of this variable is higher than that of the average and the psychological-tranquility index with 0.493 β is the most effective. As to the Spearman test, the correlation between life quality satisfaction and sense of belonging is significant at 99%. Research limitations/implications- Life quality is a multidimensional issue with various definitions and theories thereof. The villagers’ attitude towards life quality and its indexes is restricted. Originality/value- The attitude in this study towards such issues like life quality and sense of belonging is different and the study area is being exposed to this type of study for the first time.

Purpose- Social responsibility for environmental protection at all levels and strata of society is an issue that is explicitly emphasized in paragraph 14 of the General Environmental Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the villagers as the main users of environmental resources are expected to take environmental responsibility without exception. The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify level of responsibility of environmental behaviors of villagers and determine social factors affecting it. Design/methodology/approach- In this research, the framework of social psychology was used and the research method was survey and cross-sectional. The unit of analysis is the rural individuals. The statistical population of the study is all residents of rural areas of Mazandaran province in 1398/2019. The sampling method of multi-stage cluster sampling was used. The number of study villages surveyed was 30 villages and the sample size was 536 people. The data required for the research were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. Finding- The results showed that the level of responsible environmental behavior of villagers is at a moderate level. In addition, the results of multivariate analyzes indicate that there is a significant relationship between social psychological factors (religious beliefs, environmental values and environmental knowledge) and responsible behaviors towards the environment. In the final evaluation, it can be said that the modified model of social psychological factors seems a suitable model for studying factors affecting environmental behaviors in rural communities and can be useful as a model for conducting similar research in other rural areas of the country.