Citrus production has a great importance and position in Iran. The growth and sustainability of the agriculture sector is impossible without appropriate and effective risk identification and management. In this study, the main risks of citrus gardens were identified based on the Delphi method through questionnaires completed by 16 experts. Then, using the TOPSIS technique, the risks involved in the horticultural industry of Mazandaran Province were prioritized during 2010-2016 and the most important risk of Mazandaran gardens was selected based on the Shannon unweighted entropy matrix. The results showed that the most important horticultural risks were related to the risks of pests and diseases, price, damage, and production, respectively. In addition, the lowest risks were related to technical, labor and credit risks, respectively. Therefore, the results indicated the significant influence of the risks of pests and diseases, price and loss in horticulture. Among the risks of pests and diseases, mealy bugs, red mites and aphids with 76, 73 and 70 percent, respectively, were of the highest risk and risks arising from financing, purchasing the product and the damage caused by drip irrigation and emitters were of the lowest risk. The risk exposure represented that risk management should be considered in these fields. In this regard, it is essential to make major reforms in risk management areas involved in orchards. Thus, the planners and policymakers must consider this issue. Manuscript profile

The separability of consumer desires is a necessary condition for multi-stage budgeting and collectivization is consistent of commodity where costs are allocated between edible groups using price indices and intergroup allocations are made independent of other groups. In empirical studies of demand, the concept of separation is used to correctly estimate demand function and limit the number of parameters. For this purpose, data related to price index and cost of selected commodities (citrus fruits, cucurbits, and vegetables) derived from the Central Bank over 2016 in urban households of Iran were used. The results of the separability tests support the hypothesis that consumers first allocate their income to selected commodities in three groups (citrus fruits, cucurbits, and vegetables) and then approves the income allocation action between the types of its subgroups that are grouped. Also, the results of the system estimation showed that all groups had a negative intrinsic price elasticity. In the meantime, the price elasticity of the groups of citrus fruits (orange, tangerines, and lemon), cucurbits fruits (potato, tomato, and onion) and vegetables (the leafy ones) are equal to -0.83, -0.48 and -0.91, respectively. Given the income elasticity calculated for the three commodity groups, the second commodity group (potato, tomato, and onion) is more essential than the other commodity groups, which should be considered in government policies as to agricultural production and pricing. Manuscript profile

The present study aimed at investigating the production costs and economic benefits of the potato production in Ardabil country, Iran. To do so, 183 potato producers were randomly selected and were asked to present their ideas concerning the production costs and benefits through a questionnaire and an interview. A field study was also taken into consideration to enrich the data. The collected data were analyzed through measures of Chi-square, Wald test, and Translog cost function. The results revealed that the cost function structure was non-hemotetic with respect to the Chi-square statistics (36.8) and results of the constant non-returns and non-homogeneous Wald test to the scale’s F- statistics (17.04) were non-cobb Douglas. Allen cross replacement relationship was positive for the dichotomies such as workforce and machinery, machine and seed, workforce and seed, workforce and water, and finally seed and water. However, it was negative for machinery and land inputs, machinery and water, land and machinery, land and labor force, land and seeds, and land and water. The calculated cost elasticity was -1.5044 which indicated a decrease in the average costs for an output increase as the production cost was found in the downstream part of the cost curve. The economies of scale of 2.504 indicated a 2.5 percent increase in the yield for one-percent increase in the cost. Manuscript profile

هدف این مطالعه بررسی تاثیر روند پیشرفت تکنولوژی بر اجزای مازاد رفاه اجتماعی صنعت شیر طی دوره (1395 - 1365) در شهرستان ورامین می‌باشد. در این مطالعه ابتدا توابع عرضه و تقاضای شیر با استفاده از روش حداقل مربعات معمولی برآورد و سپس تاثیر بهبود تکنولوژی بر مازاد رفاه تولیدکنندگان، مصرف‌کنندگان و رفاه اجتماعی در قالب سه سناریو 1، 5 و 10 درصد کاهش قیمت، ناشی از بهبود تکنولوژی مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. طبق نتایج این مطالعه کشش قیمتی تقاضا و عرضه صنعت شیر در شهرستان ورامین به ترتیب معادل 10/0- و 201/0 برآورد شد. همچنین نتایج تعیین اجزای مازاد رفاه اجتماعی نشان داد که در تمامی سناریوها مازاد رفاه مصرف‌کنندگان در اثر کاهش قیمت حدود 2 برابر بیشتر از مازاد رفاه تولیدکنندگان در صنعت تولید شیر در شهرستان ورامین بوده است. نتایج این مطالعه نشان می‌دهد که سیاست قیمت‌گذاری نامناسب در صنعت شیر و کاهش درآمد واحدهای تولیدی باعث شده است که پیشرفت تکنولوژی منافع ناچیزی برای تولیدکنندگان داشته باشد به طوری که تغییرات منافع مصرف‌کنندگان دو برابر منافع تولیدکنندگان بوده است. Manuscript profile