The poisoning of farm workers with pesticides is a common job hazard caused by the application of pesticides, especially in developing countries. Agriculture is directly related to the environment including water resources, and farming behaviors can entail a plethora of positive or negative effects on these vital resources. So, the present study aimed to explore the safety and health behaviors of wheat farmers towards the use of chemical pesticides in Qorveh County in Kurdistan province, Iran. The statistical population of this applied research consisted of all irrigated wheat farmers in the 2019-2020 crop year (N = 1700) in Qorveh County. The sample size was determined to be 170 people by Cochran’s formula, and the random multistage technique was adopted for data collection. The main research instrument was a questionnaire whose content validity was checked by a panel of experts and the average variance extracted (AVE) index. Also, its reliability was estimated by Cronbach’s alpha and the Cumulative Reliability (CR) coefficient. The results of the structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the variables of the information source, attitude, and knowledge of chemical pesticide application accounted for 79 percent of the variance in the factors affecting the safety and health behaviors of wheat farmers as to the application of these pesticides. Considering the significant relationship that information source, attitude, and knowledge have with safety and health behaviors, it is recommended to hold training courses to familiarize wheat farmers with the hazards of conventional farming practices and the benefits of IPM practices by the organizations in charge, e.g. Agricultural Jihad Organization. This will foster a positive attitude among the farmers to adopt safety and healthy behaviors. پرونده مقاله

Tourism plays a significant role in the development of the society at different levels and is seen as an important source of employment and income especially in rural areas. Considering its different potential impacts, the present study aims to explore the effects of tourism development on the rural area of Giyan district. The target population comprised the residents of rural areas in the vicinity of Giyan tourism district (N=7500). Using the Cochran’s formula, the sample size was estimated to be 285, and a completely random sampling method was applied for data collection. A self-administered questionnaire was used as research instrument whose face validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. In order to estimate the reliability of the questionnaire, a Cronbach’s alpha was used for the pre-test. The reliability and validity of the factor analysis were estimated by Composite Reliability (CR) and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) for study components, respectively. In addition to the descriptive analysis, an Explanatory Factor Analysis and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were employed to classify research variables. It was found that from the residents’ viewpoint, the major effects of tourism include ‘improved job opportunities’, ‘increased income’ and ‘decreased number of agricultural sector employees’ The results of factor analysis revealed that economic, socio-cultural, and environmental factors account for 63% of the total variance. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that all the employed indices were acceptable to fit the model. Moreover, it was shown that the economic factor, with a coefficient of 0.93, had the highest share in explaining the latent variable of the effects of tourism development. پرونده مقاله