Ali Asadi

Organic Farming of Potato in Iran

Organic farming is an alternative system to conventional agriculture. Organic farming tries to produce enough food with high quality, while maintaining stability and sustainability in long term in the entire world. Among other crops, potato has one of the most extensive distributions in food consumption after wheat, barley and rice in the world, and has been in core attention for improving quality and quantity of its production. Cultivation of organic potato is becoming one of the most important goals of agricultural policy. But statistics shows that farmers are facing many challenges to expand area under cultivation of organic products, especially cultivation of organic potato. Thus the main objective of this research is to study the development and acceptance of cultivation of organic potato in Iran using a descriptive survey. The statistical population of this study consisted of all potato planters in Friedan township (N = 14,000). Two hundred farmers have been selected based on Cochran formula. Q Data was collected by questionnaires, which validity was confirmed by expert opinion of the professors of the department of Agricultural Extension and Education of the University of Tehran. Reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha (0.77–0.91). SPSS statistical software has also been used for data analysis. Based on the results of factor analysis, effective variables on development and acceptance cultivation of organic potato are grouped in six general factors such as technical-training, marketing, creditability, supervision, training and participation; and these variables determine 66/56 % of total variance. Data show that potato cannot be cultivated organically in the studied region (Freidan township). Consumption fertilizer and pesticide for producing potato amounts to about three times the allowable rate. However organic cultivation of potato is feasible.

Determining components of market orientation in Aquacultural Higher Education Institutes

Nowadays, universities worldwide are evolving from merely providing an adequate environment for knowledge pursuit and producing educated citizens to become big business focusing their activities at satisfying market demands for educational services. In this sense, this paper addresses the dimensions of such a market orientation, then suggesting appropriate strategies for its implementation. A total of 120 questionnaires were sent to the faculty members of Aquaculture Departments in Iran, and then a factor analysis was performed to determine domains of market orientation in Aquaculture Higher Education Institutes (AHEIs). Obtained results suggest that all items load on four constructs indicating: internal responsiveness, customer focus for enhancing external information or consciousness, internal information and external responsiveness. According to these findings, an emphasis in market orientation is suggested to be associated to the degree of information flow in AHEIs as part of the knowledge management process. In a similar sense, to enhance the internal responsiveness as one of components of market orientation that is associated with inter-functional coordination, encouragement of the formation of national and local networks which help to coordinate among institutes in response to customers priorities and needs is a key initiative. Finally, AHEIs have to adapt an emergent approach which is a process of continuous learning on how to create value for external and internal customers.

Organic Potato Farming Adoption in Iran

Organic farming is an alternative system to conventional agriculture. Organic farming to produce enough food of high quality, while maintaining stability and sustainability in long term. In this regard organic farming replaces conventional agriculture. Potato is a major food after wheat, barley and rice in the world. Cultivation of organic potato is becoming a major goal of agricultural policy. But statistics shows that farmers are facing many challenges to expand area under cultivation of organic products, especially cultivation of organic potato. Thus the main objective of this research was to study adoption of organic potato cultivation in Iran by a survey. The Statistical population consisted of all potato planters in Friedan township. Two hundred farmers were selected based on the Cochran formula. Data was collected by questionnaires. The questionnaire reliability was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha of 0.77–0.91. SPSS statistical software has also been used for data analysis. The results showed that most potato planters have a high tendency to cultivate organic potato. Using factor analysis, deterrence variables that affect development of organic potato cultivation are grouped in eight general factors: economic, technical/farming, marketing, technical/informational, foundational, personal/cultural, communicative/educational and governmental/supportive. These factors control 76.23 % of the total variance.

Key issues relating to management information systems from the perspective of managers of Iran's agricultural extension providers

Accepted 26 May, 2011 The purpose of the paper is to investigate issues relating to the management information systems of agricultural extension providers in Iran. A survey study was applied as a methodology of research work. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that addressed evaluating managers’ responses with regard to management information system (MIS) key issues. All issues had mean score greater than five as perceived by managers. This would suggest that most key issues are moderately important in the present time. To delineate more clearly the relationships between the organizational factors and MIS key issues ratings, a descriptive model is currently under development. Future work is to formulate a research model that more precisely describes the relationship between the organizations factors and the MIS key issues rankings across the countries. The organization factors should extend factors covered in the present study to those that are broadly pertinent to the dimensions of the organizations operating environment. To identification of issues of agricultural extension management information system, and how the managers rate the importance of the MIS issues according to organizational factors. The paper advances a clear plan of action for improving the management information system in the area of agricultural extension providers to all developing countries.

Effective factors in agricultural apple waste in Islamic Republic of Iran: a comparative study.

Abstract With population growth, massive pressure has been put on natural resources to produce more agricultural products, whilst million tons of agricultural products go to waste during agricultural process. The main purpose of the study was to investigate effective factors in apple waste in Zanjan Province, Iran. The population consisted of apple farmers (NF= 1000) and extension experts (NEE=78) who deal with activities about apple in Zanjan Province. A sample of 200 apple farmers and 78 extension experts were selected using stratified random sampling method. Data were collected through questionnaires. Validity of questionnaire was determined through opinions of faculty members at University of Tehran and agricultural experts in Zanjan Province. Cronbach’s alpha was used to estimate the reliability. The reliability was found to be acceptable (alpha nF= 0.75, alpha nEE= 0.86). The results revealed that post harvesting problem, pre-harvesting-natural problem, infrastructure and harvesting problems were the four factors affected apple waste. These factors could totally explained 66.38 percent of variance of variables.