Analysis of the Relationship between "Agricultural Information System Members' Viewpoint towards Organic Products" and "their Environmental Attitude": the Case of the Central District of Boyer-ahmad County

Subject Areas : Environmental policy and management

Mehdi Nooripoor ¹ , Sanaz Arpanahi ² , Zeinab Sharifi ³

1 - Associate Prof. of Rural Development Management Department, Yasouj University
2 - Former M. Sc. Student of Rural Development Management Department, Yasouj University
3 - Ph.D. Students respectively, Rural Development Management Department, Yasouj University

Received: 2014-11-21 Accepted : 2014-12-11 Published : 2016-03-01

Keywords: farmers, organic products, Extension agents, Researchers, NEP,

Abstract :

The aim of this research was to investigate this research was to investigate the relationship between Agricultural Information System (AIS) members' viewpoint towards organic products and their environmental in central District of Boyer- Ahmad County. The research population included researchers, extension agents and contact farmers of the study area and based on this population numbers, the sample sizes were determined 62, 55 and 60 persons respectively using Krejcie and Morgan sampling table. The main tool for collecting data about the respondent’s viewpoints towards organic products was a pre-designed questionnaire which its validity was confirmed by rural development experts and its reliability also confirmed by using Cronbach-Alpha coefficient (0.76-0.94).Moreover, the environmental attitude of the respondents was measured using Dunlap & Van Liere's New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale. The results showed that researchers, extension agents and farmers had a moderate environmental attitude. Furthermore, researchers and extension agents had above average viewpoint towards organic products. However, farmers had a fairly favorable viewpoint. In addition, the relationship between Agricultural Information System Members' viewpoint towards organic products and their environmental attitude was positive and significant which indicated that the more favorable environmental attitude they have, the more tendencies towards organic products they have. As a result, improving environmental attitude should be given priority in order to produce healthy products and preserve the environment.

References:

1. Ahmadvand, M., & Nooripoor, M. (2010). Environmental attitude of agricultural Students of Yasouj University: a gender analysis. Iranian Agricultural Extension and Education Journal, 6 (2), 1- 13.


2. Alavimoghadam, M. R., Maknoun, R., Babazadehnaseri, A., & Khanmohamadihazaveh, M. R. (2013): Assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of students of Amirkabir University. Journal of Environmental Sciences and Technology, 14(4), 147-154.


3. Alipour, H., Falah Jelodar, R., & Moghadas Farimani, Sh. (2009). Knowledge and tendency of agricultural research, education and extention organization researchers to sustainable agriculture. Research and Construction, 21(4), 110-119.


4. Bagheri, A., & Shahpasand, M. (2011). Attitudes of potato farmers toward sustainable agricultural practices in Ardabil plain. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development, 41(2), 231-242.


5. Banifatemeh, H., Roustaei, Sh., Alizade Aghdam, M. B., & Hosseinnejad, F. (2013). A study of environmental attitude of the citizens of Tabriz based on new environmental paradigm. Environmental Researches, 4(7), 173-186.


6. Budak, D. B., Budak, F., Zaimoglu, Z., Kekec, S., & Yavuz Sucu, M. (2005). Behavior and attitudes of students towards environmental issues at Faculty of Agriculture, Turkey. Journal of Applied Science, (5), 1244-1227.


7. Chiou, J. S. (1998): The effects of attitude subjective norm and perceived behavioral control on consumers purchase intentions: the moderating effects of product knowledge and attention to social comparison information. Proceedings of the National Science Council, 9, 298-308.


8. Chizari, M., Linder, J. R., & Zoghie, M. (1999). Perception of extension agents educational needs regarding sustainable agriculture in the Khorasan province, Iran. Journal of Agricultural Education, 40(4), 20-27.


9. Davis, J. A. (1971). Elementary survey analysis. Engewood Cliffs, N.J.: PrenticeHall.


10. Davoodi, H., Maghsoudi, T. (2012). Analysis of potato growers’ knowledge about sustainable agriculture in Shushtar Township. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development, 42(2), 265-274.


11. Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442.


12. Ferdousi, S., Mortazavi, SH. & Rezvani, N. (2007). The relationship between bio- environmental knowledge and pro- environmental behavior. Journal of Human Sciences, 53, 253-266.


13. Ghadimi, S.A., Shabanali Fami, H., & Asadi, A. (2013). The analysis of effective factors on attitude of farmers towards organic farming (case study: Fereidan area). Journal of Agricultural Extension and Education Research, 5(4), 69-80.


14. Kilcher, L. (2007). How organic agriculture contributes to sustainable development. University of Kassel at Witzenhausen. JARTS Supplement 89, 31-49.


15. Klonsky, K., Tourte, L., Thompson, G. D., Lohr, L., Krissoff, B. (1998). Emergence of U.S. organic agriculture: Can we compete? Department of agricultural and applied economics, University of Georgia. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/23517323


16. Mahdavi Damghani, A., Kochaki, A., & Rezvani Moghadam, P. (2004). Sustainability indices, a tool for quantifying agri- acological concepts. Environmental Sciences, 1(4), 1-10.


17. Mahmoudi, H., Renn, O., Hoffmann, V., Passel, S.V., & Azadi, H. (2014). Social risk screening using a sociopolitical ambiguity approach: the case of organic agriculture in Iran. Journal of Risk Research, DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2014.910696


18. Malekzadeh, Z., Ahmadi, S., & Mohamadalizadeh, F. (2010). Organic products. Paper presented at First National Conference on Student Conservation Ecology, University of Shahid Beheshti.


19. Motamedinia, Z., Mehdizadeh, H., & Papazan, A. (2013). Behavioral attitude of agricultural enterprises to environmental pollution (Case Study: Kermanshah, Eslam Abad Gharb, Ilam, Ivan Gharb). Journal of Rural Research, 4(2), 429-450.


20. Nooripoor, M., & Ahmadvand, M. (2011). Comparative analysis of environmental attitude of agricultural students of Yasouj University, Iran. Agricultural Education Research Management, 18: 29- 44.


21. Safaeenia, M., Amiri, M., & Habibi, Z. (2010). Organic agriculture, organic product. Extension Education Pamphlet. Yasouj: Jihade- Agriculture Organization of Kohgilouyeh and Boyerahmad Province.


22. Vogel, S. (1994). Environmental attitudes behavior in the agricultural attitudes sector as empirically determined by use of an attitude model. Institute Fur Wirtschaft, Politik and Recht, Unversitat Bod Bodenkultur Wien. Retrieved from: <http://www.boka. ac. at/wpr/wpr­­-dp/dp-32.pdf