واکاوی موانع و چالش های به‌کارگیری سیستم خشکه‌کاری برنج در میان شالیکاران

نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی

نویسندگان

• مرتضی پاشا ¹
• فاطمه رزاقی ²
• طاهر عزیزی خالخیلی ¹
• مهدی مردانشاهی ³

¹ گروه ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی، دانشکده علوم زراعی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی ساری، ساری، ایران.

² گروه ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی دانشکده علوم زراعی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی ساری، ساری، ایران

³ گروه ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی ساری، ساری، ایران.

چکیده

کلیدواژه‌ها

• سیستم خشکه‌کاری برنج
• تغییرات اقلیم
• موانع به‌کارگیری
• مدیریت منابع آب
• شرق مازندران

موضوعات

• توسعه پایدار

Extended Abstract

Context and Purpose

In order to ensure food security and enhance productivity, rice cultivation technologies must be developed to simultaneously reduce labor requirements and irrigation water inputs while maintaining yield potential. Accordingly, the application of modern technologies and the development of water-saving methods in rice cultivation-such as dry direct-seeded rice (Dry-DSR) aimed at increasing water use efficiency (WUE), reducing resource losses, and promoting sustainable agricultural development, have become a global strategic concern. This method, which seeks to significantly reduce water consumption and labor demand, despite its ecological and economic advantages, faces major challenges that hinder its widespread adoption. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying and prioritizing the most important barriers and limitations to the adoption of the dry direct-seeded rice system among rice farmers in eastern Mazandaran Province during the 2023–2024 cropping year.

Research Methodology

This study was applied in terms of its objective and descriptive survey in nature. The statistical population of this study comprised all rice farmers in eastern Mazandaran Province-including the counties of Galugah, Behshahr, Neka, and Miandorud-during the 2022–2023 cropping year.The statistical population comprised 27,292 rice farmers in eastern Mazandaran Province, and a sample of 294 respondents was determined based on statistical power analysis using GPower software. participants were selected using proportionate multistage random. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire grounded in the PESTEL analysis framework. Face and content validity were confirmed by experts in agricultural water management and rice agronomy, as well as by university faculty members. Discriminant validity was assessed using the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) criterion, and reliability was confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeding 0.70. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis based on the partial least squares (PLS) approach with SmartPLS software, version 3.0.

Findings

Based on the factor analysis model across the six PESTEL dimensions, economic barriers (0.897) were identified as the most influential constraint on the adoption of dry direct-seeded rice. They were followed, respectively, by political (0.837), environmental (0.813), legal (0.808), technological (0.731), and social (0.727) barriers.

Conclusion

    As the three priority dimensions, economic, political, and environmental barriers exert a dominant and decisive influence on the non-adoption of the technology. This finding indicates that as long as initial investment requirements for farmers are not met and water resource monitoring is not improved, any extension efforts are likely to fail. In particular, the strong effects of “insufficient access to banking facilities” and “increased farm equipment costs” within the economic dimension confirm that failure in financial support represents the greatest obstacle to sustainable development. In fact, the financial risk arising from the high initial costs of equipment and the potential for lower initial returns compared to the flooded (conventional) method has cast doubt on the economic feasibility of adopting the technology for farmers in the region. Within the political dimension, “lack of government oversight over groundwater extraction” emerged as the most influential variable, indicating that weak enforcement of regulations and poor water governance have indirectly reduced farmers’ incentives to conserve water. Moreover, the lack of coordination among agencies and stakeholders in water management, although less significant, demonstrates that the absence of synergistic collaboration between institutions such as the Regional Water Company and the Agricultural Jihad Organization weakens the practical enforcement of legal and incentive mechanisms (e.g., subsidies) and further reduces farmers’ motivation to change their cultivation system. Furthermore, the high factor loading of “unsuitable temporal distribution of rainfall” within the environmental dimension highlights the necessity of addressing climate change impacts and local soil conditions through agricultural land zoning and climate-adapted training programs to enhance farmers’ adaptability. Although legal, technological, and social barriers ranked lower in priority, they function as complementary constraints, creating conditions that reinforce the primary barriers. Overall, the results of this study provide a clear and operational framework for policymakers and executive institutions, emphasizing that prioritizing economic support measures and regulatory reforms in the water sector constitutes a critical prerequisite for the successful promotion of agricultural water-conservation technologies in eastern Mazandaran Province. From a practical perspective, the findings emphasize the need for optimal water management in rice cultivation based on good water governance. Strengthening water withdrawal monitoring systems and institutional coordination can enable the effective adoption of water-saving technologies in rice fields. Simultaneously, upgrading irrigation infrastructure and implementing appropriate agricultural practices through climate-smart systems and cropping plans aligned with local climatic conditions can significantly improve water-use efficiency and the sustainability of rice production.

Author Contributions

This article is derived from a Master’s thesis, and the authors’ contributions correspond to the order in which their names appear. The overall direction of the research process and the preparation of the manuscript were led by the corresponding author.

Data Availability Statement

Data available on request from the authors.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all participants of the present study.

Ethical considerations

The authors avoided data fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and misconduct.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.