Evaluation and Prioritization of Factors Affecting Wheat Agricultural Sustainability in Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province

Subject Areas : Increase yield

Mahsa Ghasabi ¹ , Hamed Ghaderzadeh ² , Mahmood Haji Rahimi ³

1 - PhD student, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan, Iran.
2 - Associate Professor in Agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor in Agricultural economics, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kurdistan, Kurdistan, Iran

Received: 2025-03-30 Accepted : 2025-05-01 Published : 2025-06-21

Keywords: Agricultural Sustainability, Economic Criteria, AHP Model, Wheat, Saqqez,

Abstract :

Objective: Agricultural sustainability is one of the fundamental pillars of sustainable development and food security. Kurdistan Province, and specifically Saqqez County, as one of the wheat production hubs in the country, faces numerous challenges in achieving sustainable agriculture. Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing factors affecting the sustainability of wheat farming is an essential step in macro and micro planning to improve the status of this sector.

Material and methods: In this research, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to evaluate and prioritize factors affecting the sustainability of wheat farming in Saqqez County. Then, pairwise comparison questionnaires were designed and distributed among a group of leading farmers. The main criteria under investigation included farmers' individual characteristics, economic, environmental, socio-cultural, and managerial factors, each having its specific sub-criteria.

Results: The results of the hierarchical analysis showed that the economic criterion, with a relative weight of 0.0435, has the greatest impact on wheat farming sustainability, indicating the strong dependence of this sector on financial factors and market conditions. Among the economic sub-criteria, farmers' annual income (B1), access to modern machinery (B7), and access to product markets (B2) had the highest importance. Following that, the managerial criterion with a weight of 0.034 ranked second, demonstrating the role of precise planning and the use of scientific information in increasing productivity. In the environmental dimension, crop rotation (E2) was identified as the most effective factor in maintaining soil quality. Environmental criteria and farmers' individual characteristics ranked next in importance with weights of 0.0293 and 0.024, respectively.

Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, improving farmers' economic situation through adopting supportive policies, facilitating access to low-cost financial resources, providing modern machinery, and strengthening market infrastructure are among the key strategies for enhancing wheat farming sustainability in the region. Additionally, upgrading farmers' knowledge and managerial skills, promoting crop rotation principles, optimal use of inputs, and adopting methods for protecting water and soil resources can play an important role in achieving sustainable agriculture.

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