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Akbar Pourfaraj, Maryam Naghavi,
Volume 11, Issue 42 (winter 2023 2023)
Abstract

 Introduction
Agritourism, regarded as a sustainable development strategy for rural communities, is a tool for economic diversification and conserving land resources, agricultural landscapes and cultural assets. The rural areas of Mazandaran Province are a significant agricultural hub of the country due to their abundant capabilities such as soil fertility, vast plains, good climate and sufficient water resources. This province is also known as one of the most visited tourist destinations with mass tourism form in the country. These capabilities are compatible with developing niche tourism, such as agritourism. Therefore, it is necessary for the tourism governance of Mazandaran to combine the activities of the two sectors of agriculture and tourism to encourage and promote agritourism to preserve the region's agricultural lands and agricultural heritage and traditions in order to prevent unsustainable development. However, success in agritourism requires attention to the issue of planning and demand management to attract interested tourists and also understanding why and how the behavioral processes pattern and their travel decisions. Therefore, this study aims to understand the factors affecting the behavioral intentions of tourists towards agritourism in rural areas of Mazandaran Province. In order to understand and explain the decision-making process, the Planned Behavior model was used to examine the attitudes of tourists towards agricultural activities, their subjective norms and perceived behavioral control as determinants of tourists' behavioral intentions. This model provides suitable conditions for obtaining the necessary information and awareness about tourists' specific behaviors and inclinations towards agritourism.

 Methodology 
This descriptive and quantitative study is based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The study's statistical population is the tourist who has experience travelling to rural areas of Mazandaran. The number of statistical samples was estimated at 220 people. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: demographic and specialized questions. Specialized questions included two items for measuring behavioral intention variable (BI), two items for attitude towards agritourism (ATT), three items for subjective norms (SN), three items for perceived behavioral control variable (PBC) and one item for past experience (PE). The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed using content, construct, convergent, divergent and diagnostic validity. Also, its reliability was confirmed by composite reliability and pre-test of 30 questionnaires based on Cronbach's alpha test. Data classification and analysis were performed through SPSS25 and SmartPLS3.3.3.

Discussion and conclusion
Finally, the results showed that the factors of attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control had affected the behavioral intentions of tourists to visit agricultural farms and rural areas in Mazandaran Province. It was also found that tourists with a positive belief and attitude towards agritourism activities are more inclined to visit agricultural and rural environments. Compared to other factors determining behavioral intentions, subjective norms have the greatest impact on the intention to the agricultural and rural environment. In other words, the intention to visit increases when people (such as family, relatives, friends or colleagues) and influential persons in virtual spaces recommend travelling to agricultural destinations in rural areas of Mazandaran Province. According to Hofstede's cultural dimensions (national culture), Iran is ranked as one of the collectivist countries and cultures (41), and therefore the people of our society are more affected by social norms. Furthermore, this study found that perceived behavioral control has a positive effect on the behavioral intentions of tourists to visit the agricultural environment of rural areas in Mazandaran Province. Tourists believe that their confidence in their ability to make such trips, as well as enough money and time for vacations, influences their behavioral intentions to visit the agricultural and rural areas of this destination. Although past experience is effective in the relationship between attitude and behavioral intentions, the past experience of tourists had a moderate effect. In this province, because most of the lands are engaged in agricultural activities, little attention has been paid to agritourism activities. In other words, agritourism is a new sector in this traditional destination. Therefore, the previous experiences of tourists do not include in-depth and participatory experiences in agritourism activities and include items such as entertainment and shopping. It should be noted that tourists in this study had a strong tendency to participate in recreational and entertainment activities and did not want to participate in agritourism activities because most of the tourists in this destination are leisure tourists and are not specialized tourists agritourism. Therefore, creating a brand and a new image of rural areas of Mazandaran as an agritourism destination is recommended.

 

Morteza Mokhtari, Moammadreza Ghaedi Far, Roholla Mirmahmoodi, Amir Mousaei, Somayeh Naghavi, Hamid Bideshki, Ahmad Ali Sadeghi,
Volume 12, Issue 43 (Spring 2023 2023)
Abstract

 Introduction
Quantitative and qualitative improvement of the agricultural sector can increase production productivity, increase farmers' income and create a link between agricultural and non-agricultural poverty reduction programs. Solving or reducing problems and bottlenecks and managing challenges within this sector is necessary. The livestock industry is one of the main sectors of food production needed by humans. Among the various food items produced in the agricultural sector, protein items are essential. On the other hand, in addition to the production of protein foods, this industry plays a significant role in creating employment and providing new job opportunities through the completion of the food production and supply chain. It is impossible to fulfill this vital mission without identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of animal husbandry units and livestock breeders and formulating appropriate strategies to provide management solutions considering the limited resources in each region. The agricultural extension system is one of the main tools for developing the agricultural sector and empowering farmers. Educational and promotional programs are the primary means of realizing agricultural development goals and empowering livestock farmers. This research was carried out to follow the pattern of livestock farmers in livestock promotion training in the southern cities of Kerman.

 Methodology
The research method is descriptive, analytical, and based on quantitative and qualitative methods. The statistical population in this research included livestock breeders in the southern rural areas of Kerman Province, with approximately 250 units that had active livestock units in 2019. Cluster sampling was used to collect to avoid wasting time and saving financial resources. It should be noted that 100 animal husbandry units were selected from the sample farmers participating in training and promotion courses. After completing and collecting the questionnaires, statistical analysis was performed using the software Stata 12 software was used. Also, the generalized ordinal logit model was used to investigate the factors affecting the benefit of the farmers from educational and extension courses. When using the ordinal logit model, the coefficients are interpreted rather than directly interpreting the results. If the coefficient is positive, it means that the probability of being placed in one category increases while the probability of being placed in another category decreases. For this purpose, the interpretation of marginal effects should be used.
The ordinal logit model is based on a continuous latent variable, which is shown as follows:
yi*=βXi+εi                     -∞<yi*<∞           (1)
Suppose the variable yi is considered discrete and observable, representing different levels of livestock farmers' benefit. The relationship between the unobservable variable yi* and the observable variable yi is obtained from the ordinal logit model.
 
yi=1                        if          -∞< yi*<μ1    i=1,2,…,n

yi=2                        if          μ1< yi*<μ2    i=1,2,…,n
yi=3                        if          μ2< yi*<μ3    i=1,2,…,n
…..                             ….             …….                     ……
yi=n                       if          μt-1< yi*<∞    i=1,2,…,n            

Discussion and conclusion
According to the findings, several factors such as age, education level, satisfaction with sales and marketing strategies, attitude towards extension experts, primary occupation, and cost of animal feed significantly impact the advantages livestock breeders gain from attending educational and extension programs. Providing educational and promotional courses in different areas is a practical and effective method to enhance the knowledge and skills of villagers. These courses can greatly improve productivity and quality of life if they are conducted under favorable conditions and cater to participants' actual needs. This can also optimize the functioning of all agents within the extension education system. Therefore, the necessary arrangements should be considered for livestock farmers to access the facilities and inputs needed to apply and use promotional recommendations. Based on the information obtained in the present research, it can be concluded that due to the relatively high average age of livestock farmers in the south of Kerman province and considering the usefulness of participating in educational-promotional courses, regular holding of these courses with more emphasis on familiarity with veterinary procedures and livestock diseases, familiarity with food ingredients and animal nutrition management mainly, as well as familiarity with the marketing and sale of livestock products, livestock breeding, and the design of animal husbandry buildings and facilities to a lesser extent. The agenda of the deputy of the Livestock Production Improvement Organization should be placed in the south of Kerman Province. The effectiveness of educational and promotional programs and user satisfaction relies on the proper functioning of various components within the system. These include timely and accurate use of educational aids, relevant content that meets users' needs, and program planning that aligns with existing resources and user living conditions. In this regard, necessary arrangements should be made for access to the facilities and inputs needed for the livestock farmers of the south Kerman region to benefit from training and promotion courses.
 


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