R. Maghabl; K. Naderi Mahdei; A. Yaghoubi Farani; M. Mohammadi
Abstract
Introduction: There is a strong need to influence both speed and direction of innovation and technological change in agriculture. An Agricultural Technological Innovation System (ATIS) is a collaborative arrangement bringing together several organizations working toward innovational-technological, managerial, ...
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Introduction: There is a strong need to influence both speed and direction of innovation and technological change in agriculture. An Agricultural Technological Innovation System (ATIS) is a collaborative arrangement bringing together several organizations working toward innovational-technological, managerial, organizational, and institutional change in agriculture. The purpose of this study was to identify and explain functional implicationsaffecting the development of the agricultural technological innovation system.
Materials and Methods: This research paradigm was in the form of exploratory phase mixed method with qualitative to quantitative data connection approach. The statistical sample of the qualitative section, consists key members of the nanotechnology and biotechnology committees of Ministry of Agriculture-jihad (35 people) which 12 persons were interviewed by using purposive sampling technique, and quantitative section of research consists the members of nanotechnology and biotechnology of agricultural sector committees (117 people), which were all enumerated. To achieve the reliability and validity of the qualitative section of research three-dimensional vision technique wasused. And at the quantitative section, Cronbach's alpha test and opinions of subject experts were used. Cronbach’s alpha and ordinal theta were 0.78 and 0.89, respectively.
Results and Discussion: After the discovery of 30 subsidiary elements in form of 7 main factors achieved from a qualitative section of research using Atlas.ti5.2 software (research-development implications, Institutional-Structural implications, Legal-policy implications, business-marketing implications, innovational-technological implications, credit- financial implications, extensional - educational implications), finally, at the quantitative section of research using SPSS, the total variance explaining by the identified factors, measured. According to the results of exploratory factor analysis, research – developmentimplications, explained the 17.23% of the total variance the functional implications of agricultural technological innovation system development. This research finding was consistent with researchers results of Abdi and Hassanzadeh (2), Farshad et al. (10) and Sharifzadeh et al. (24). Legal - policy implicationswas the second factor with 15.58% of the explained variance the implications of the development of agricultural technological innovation system. This research finding was consistent with the results of researches were carried out by Temel et al.(25), Bergek et al. (4), Hekkert and Negro (12), Abdi and Hasanzadeh (2), Meigounpoory et al. (19), Farshadet al. (10) and Sharifzadeh et al. (24).Business -marketing implicationsis composed of variables likerisk decrease on investment in agricultural businesses, Price balance of agricultural products (increase or decrease cost of production because of the lack of proper cultivation, increase cost of production inputs and tensions in the global rate of products) and scientific management in the agricultural production farmlands with 12.32 percent of explained variance the implications of agricultural technological innovation development as the third important factor was classified. This section of findings was in agreement with research’s results of Temel et al. (25), Cristina and Patarapong (8), Negro et al. (21), Momeni and Alizadeh (20), Abdi and Hasanzadeh (2) and Meigounpoory et al. (19). Institutional - structural implications werethe fourth factor of the implications of development of agricultural technological innovation, which explained 10.68 percent of total variance. This finding of the study was consistent with the results of research Cristina and Patarapong (8), Negro et al. (21), Momeni and Alizadeh (20), Meigounpoory et al. (19), Farshad et al. (10), Sharifzadeh et al.(24 ). Innovative - technical implications as the fifth factor of the implications of agricultural technological innovation development with important variables like proportionment between technological innovation and the needs of farmers demand and the predicate the impact of events on technological innovations such as climate change explained 8.21% of the total variance that this finding was consistent with research results of Farshad et al. (10), Sharifzadeh et al. (24).Extensional - educational implicationswereclassified as the last of the implications to technological innovation system for agricultural development that this finding matches with the results of Hekkert and Negro (21) and Momeni and Alizadeh (20).
Conclusions: The results showed that 7 of the mentioned factors, explained at about 78.35% of the total variance of functional implications affecting the development of agricultural technological innovation system. To verify the structure validity of a questionnaire and fitness of model to measurement the functional implicationsimportance of agricultural technological innovation system development, collected data analyzed by the software of LISRELwin8.8 through confirmatory factor analysis that the results of various fitness indicators showed that the model is based on an acceptable level (df/x2=1.785, Goodness of Fit Index=0.93, Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index=0.96, Comparative Fit Index=0.93, Incremental Fit Index=0.95, Root Mean square Residual=0.06, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.056).
R. Maghabl; K. Naderi Mahdei; F. Paknia; M. Nasiri
Abstract
Water user cooperatives were formed due to consideration to people's empowerment and participation in water investment and management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of development and strengthening of water user cooperatives in the Aras River Basin. The study population ...
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Water user cooperatives were formed due to consideration to people's empowerment and participation in water investment and management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms of development and strengthening of water user cooperatives in the Aras River Basin. The study population consisted of the management board members of the water user cooperatives in the Aras Basin in the year 2012. Respondents were selected by purposeful stratified sampling method. Having the data collected by interviews and questionnaires, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (through the software Expert Choice 11) was used to prioritize mechanisms for the development and strengthening of water user cooperatives. Based on the final weights, criterias including supportive strategies, education - extension, policy, communications and legal mechanisms, were prioritized, respectively. The results of the sensitivity analysis showed that sub-criterias including reallocation of credit to change the traditional irrigation to drip and sprinkler irrigation, holding extension and educational courses purposed at promoting farmers’knowledge about their responsibilities for the formation and management of water user cooperatives collaborated with the department of Jihad Agricultural Organization (JKO), the department of Cooperatives and Regional Water Organization; credit and investment provision to improve the processing and package industries, modeling appropriate cropping systems based on the area capacity were the most influential sub-criterias in developing and strengthening water user cooperatives.
