Investigating the level of Awareness about Good Agricultural Practices and its influencing factors among Irrigated Wheat growers (A Case in Nahavand County)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Arezoo Hasanvand ¹
• Zhila Daneshvar Ameri ²
• Hosain Shababali Fami ¹

¹ Department of Agricultural Management and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran.

² Department of Agricultural Management and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

Keywords

• Good agricultural Practices
• Awareness
• Irrigated wheat growers

Extended Abstract

Introduction

The standard of Good Agricultural Practices is measured that takes into account the environmental, economic and social sustainability of in-farm processes and ultimately leads to the creation of quality and healthy food and non-food products. It seems that by implementing the gap, we can take steps to increase economic performance, reduce pest and disease damage, Protect the environment, food health and sustainability of irrigated wheat fields in Nahavand County. On the other hand, the application of the GAP standard requires awareness and several factors affect the level of farmers' awareness, for which there is currently limited empirical evidence. Therefore, the present study sought to determine the level of knowledge of irrigated wheat farmers in Nahavand city about GAP and the factors affecting it.

Methods

The main research tool was a questionnaire and a content validity method was used to determine its validity. Therefore, the questionnaire was used by the scientific professors of the Department of Agricultural Management and Development, University of Tehran. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure the reliability of the measuring instrument and using 30 questionnaires that were provided to wheat growers for pre-test at the beginning of the work, Cronbach's alpha value showed that the main scales of the questionnaire were reliable. And was stable because its value was obtained above 0.70. The questionnaire consisted of five sections.Individual-professional characteristics, which have been in the form of two-sided and multi-faceted, and open-ended questions with nominal, sequential, and relative scales. The structural features of the farm have been multifaceted and open-ended. Explanatory indicators of social participation in a total of 7 items, which in the form of Likert scale from 0 to 5 (not at all = 0, very little = 1, low = 2, average = 3, high = 4, very high = 5) has been compiled. Indicators explaining the level of access and use of supportive-institutional factors 8 items and indicators explaining the level of access and use of information resources and communication channels a total of 8 items, which in the form of Likert scale (very low = 1, low = 2, medium = 3, high = 4, very high = 5) and finally the total score obtained in each section shows the score of the main variable. The dependent variable of knowledge of good agricultural operations included 52 items in eight dimensions including; Tillage and planting management (12 items), nutrition and fertility management (3 items), water consumption management (6 items), pest, diseases and weeds management (7 items), harvesting operations management (3 items), management After harvest (8 items), management of workers' health, safety and welfare and consulting (7 items), waste and waste management and soil health (5 items); Which is compiled in the form of a Likert scale from 0 to 5 (absolutely = 0, very low = 1, low = 2, medium = 3, high = 4, very high = 5). Finally, the sum of the scores obtained from these eight dimensions shows the level of awareness of Good Agricultural Practices. In the descriptive part of statistics such as; Frequency, percentage, cumulative percentage, mean, view, standard deviation, minimum, maximum, coefficient of variation, and standard deviation distance method were used. In the inferential statistics section, according to the objectives of the research, correlation coefficients, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and regression using Spss software have been used.

Results and Discussion

The frequency distribution of wheat growers in terms of knowledge of GAP components showed that; Regarding the components of tillage and planting management with 41.1%, nutrition and fertility management with 33.3%, water consumption management (irrigation) with 31.3% and pest, diseases and weed management with 46.7% and waste and waste management and Soil health 31.1% of the respondents who have the highest frequency, the level of awareness is relatively high. Regarding the components of harvest operation management (35.6%), post-harvest management (32.2%), management of health, safety and welfare of workers and consulting (40.6%), the highest frequency and percentage are related to relatively low awareness was. The results of Pearson correlation showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between knowledge about GAP and the age of wheat farmers and the number of visits to agricultural service centers at the level of one percent. The results of the independent t-test showed that there is a significant difference at the level of 5% between the knowledge about GAP of wheat farmers in terms of an urban and rural location. Also, there is a significant difference between knowledge about GAP and being a cooperative member or not, membership in phytosanitary clinics (yes and no), mechanized or traditional cultivation method and preparing seeds for agricultural services (yes and no), at the level of one percent. Comparison of different groups of wheat farmers in terms of the level of knowledge about GAP using analysis of variance; Showed that based on the level of knowledge about GAP, there is a significant difference at the level of 5% among wheat farmers with different levels of education, respondents with higher levels of education have a higher level of knowledge about GAP. Comparison of the average knowledge of GAP of wheat farmers based on the type of agricultural land ownership showed that based on the knowledge of GAP, a significant difference was observed at the level of 5% among wheat farmers with different properties. Respondents with privately owned property have a higher level of GAP awareness than respondents with shared and rental properties. Based on the results of multiple regression, three independent variables viz., level of social participation, level of access and use of information and communication channels and resources as well as  level of access and use of supportive-institutional resources 0.427 explain the dependent variable of GAP awareness among irrigated wheat growers.

Conclusions

The results of research in the field of awareness of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) showed; Awareness of irrigated wheat growers in Nahavand County is not at a high level. The findings also indicated that the level of social participation was the most important factor affecting GAP awareness. In addition, participation in local associations and institutions was more important and a priority among irrigated wheat growers in Nahavand county. Therefore, encouraging irrigated wheat farmers in Nahavand County to join local institutions and in the absence of a local institution to create farmers' groups is an effective way to be aware of GAP. In other words, the participation of irrigated wheat growers should be in the form of a cohesive organization such as organizations or cooperatives, and government support for these organizations is very important in the initial stage. It is also suggested that planners and stakeholders in the agricultural sector; Consider participatory approaches and farmer-centered methods to motivate users to participate, as well as the effectiveness of educational-extension activities.