درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

 Urban agriculture promotes sustainable development and fosters societal participation, including the rehabilitation of various groups, such as inmates. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of prison-farm rehabilitation programs in Dizel Abad Prison in Iran. The research population consisted of two groups: one with 130 inmates, of whom 97 were selected and studied through systematic sampling via Cochran's formula, and the second group included 14 managers, offenders, and prison experts interviewed through a census. The data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire based on the Kirkpatrick evaluation model. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, while its face and content validity were validated by a panel of experts. The findings at the first level of evaluation (i.e., reaction) showed that, with a confidence interval of 99%, the inmates were satisfied with participating in the urban agriculture training course. At the second level (i.e. learning), results indicated a significant increase in the inmates’ knowledge, with a statistically significant difference between their pre- and post-test scores (p<0.01). At the third level (i.e., behavior), the findings suggested that urban agriculture in prisons could lead to significant behavioral changes in inmates, with 95% confidence. At the fourth level of evaluation (i.e., results), the findings showed that although the urban agriculture training course in Dizel Abad Prison caused moderate changes in the inmates, the difference in pre-and-post-test scores was not statistically significant. Overall, the findings demonstrated that the urban agriculture training course in Dizel Abad Prison could bring about changes in inmates’ behavior, knowledge, and attitude. These findings support the potential of prison-farm programs within urban agriculture initiatives as viable methods for rehabilitation. 

Exporting agricultural products is considered as one of the strategies for developing non-oil exports and achieving sustainable economic growth in developing countries. Saffron, as an export commodity, holds particular significance in Iran's non-oil exports. Given Iran's position among the top four saffron-exporting countries globally, this study aims to prioritize Iran's saffron target markets based on market competition indices and calculate its relative advantage and export stability index in the world market and Iran's export target countries. Comparison of the global market structure of the product during 2003 to 2022 revealed that despite the significant shares of Iran, Spain, England, and Nigeria in most years, the market structure has been characterized by a multi-sided monopoly, open and closed, and in some years dominated by oligopoly, indicating an increase in the number of competitors and the competitiveness of the export market for this product. Iran, with an average share of 13.6% in the saffron export market and producing over 80% of saffron, does not have a direct share in global exports, and most of Iran's saffron is exported to countries such as the UAE, Spain, China, and Oman, and then re-exported to other countries, for which strategies such as market expansion and branding need to be prioritized. The results showed that in 2022, four countries, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Iran, and Spain, accounted for 93% of the total world exports, and Iran ranked second in terms of export volume in the saffron export market during the study period. Also, Iran had an export stability index of less than one (0.96) but the trend of this index indicates a decrease in Iran's stability. The results showed that the majority of Iran's saffron exports are concentrated in only four countries, with the composition of these countries varying over time. To enhance market stability and growth, it is crucial to expand the target export markets. Prioritization should be given to China, UAE, Spain, India, USA, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Kuwait, with average priority ranks of 4.15, 6.85, 7.7, 7.95, 8.9, 12.3, 14.35, 15.25, 15.5, and 16.45 respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that the export market for saffron is oligopolistic. Therefore, it is essential for all exporting countries to collaborate in determining the price and market share for each country. This collaborative approach can help in stabilizing the market, ensuring fair pricing, and promoting sustainable growth in the saffron industry.