Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the supportive policies and dimensions of environmental security in agriculture of Iran, within the ten months period. The population consisted of all extension experts in the Khuzestan Province of Iran (N =110). All of experts were interviewed. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect the data. Consequently 86 questionnaires were analyzed. Ranking indicated that the 4 most important supportive policies regarding environmental security in agriculture were: encouraging farmers for using sustainable methods, increasing knowledge of farmers regarding environmental security, dissemination of organic farming and considering financial credit for regarding environmental security. As the results indicated the 4 most important dimensions of environmental security in agriculture. Namely, they are (1) conservation of basic resources, (2) dissemination of new methods, (3) equality in distribution of resources and finally and (4) reduce chemical material in agriculture. So, provide new information for consumer and farmers, support information system to link research, extension and farmers and support for farmers training are very vital key toward sustainability.
INTRODUCTION
During the past fifty years, agricultural development policies have been remarkably successful at emphasizing external inputs as the means to increase food production (Ommani et al., 2008). This has led to growth in global consumption of pesticides, inorganic fertilizer, animal feedstuffs and tractor and other machinery (Roling and Pretty, 1997). Agricultural productivity reduces when ecosystems are changed and natural resource decreased.
Considering unsustainable agricultural conditions of Iran (Ommani et al., 2008), organizational recession and inability of current supportive policies (Allahyari and Chizari, 2008) to accomplish of sustainability, it seems that agricultural system require a new structure and methods to achieve sustainability objectives.
It seems that knowledge and related information, skills, technologies and attitudes will play a key role in the sustainable agriculture. Consequently, sustainable agriculture system is an information-intensive system because inputs have been replaced by skills, labors and management (Roling, 1994; Pretty, 1995; Garforth and Lawrence, 1997; Chizari et al., 1999; Cho and Boland, 2004).
The primary purpose of this research was to identify and prioritize the supportive policies and dimensions of environmental security in agriculture of Iran. The objectives of the research were as follows to determine perceptions of agricultural extension experts regarding environmental security, and to identify human, social and economical resources for environmental security in agriculture.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The population consisted all experts in Khuzestan Province (N = 110) was selected. Data were collected and April 2008 through a questionnaire mailed to the 110 agricultural extension experts of Khouzestan Province of Iran. The response rate of questionnaire was 78% (N = 86).
The model of questionnaire derived from studies by Arellanes and Lee (2003), Boone et al. (2007), Keshavarz et al. (2003) and Rezaei-Moghadam et al. (2005). To test the validity of a questionnaire, content-related evidence of validity by panel of experts was used. To test the content-related evidence, 20 copies were provided and distributed among faculty members of the Islamic Azad University, the Tarbiat Modares University, the Chamran University, the West Virginia University and Ph.D agricultural extension students of the Islamic Azad University. Their responses were incorporate in the final version of the instrument. Researchers examined reliability evidence by 30 copies of questionnaire of experts that provided and distributed among agricultural extension experts from Esfahan Province. Reliability of overall instrument was estimated at 0.87. Collected data were analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Supportive Policies Regarding Environmental Security in Agriculture
The importance of conserving and protecting environmental has become an
important part of resource management in rural areas. Environmental security
is recognized in international agreements and a variety of strategies and programs
in all levels of government (Ommani et al., 2008).
Pereira (2005) claimed that the institutional and policy issues also receive high priority to make resources management effective. They concern the mechanisms to improve user’s participation and to strengthen the institutions involved in resources planning and management, as well as the laws and regulations relative to policies. Issues to enhance user’s participation in management of resource systems are receiving high priority at international level. They include:
| • | The improvement of programs aiming at the transfer of responsibility from government to users relative to the operation, maintenance and management of irrigation and drainage systems |
| • | The recognition of indigenous knowledge, human reluctance to change and traditional social arrangements |
| • | Mechanisms which can improve the coordination and division of responsibility between government, public and user institutions and the industry |
Here, agricultural experts were asked to mention importance of different supportive policies regarding environmental security in agriculture by 5 point scale (1 = very low, 2 = low, 3 = moderate, 4 = high, 5 = very high) (Table 1). Ranking indicated that the three most important supportive policies regarding environmental security in agriculture were: (1) encouraging farmers for using sustainable methods, (2) increasing knowledge of farmers regarding environmental security, (3) dissemination of organic farming and (4) considering financial credit for regarding environmental security. Based on frequency of respondents about importance rate of supportive policies regarding environmental security in agriculture, 70.8% of respondents stated that the considering encouraging farmers for using sustainable methods had very high importance.
Dimensions of Environmental Security in Agriculture
A necessary condition for environmental security in agriculture is that
large number of farming households must be motivated to use coordinated resource
management. This could be for pest and predator management, nutrient management,
controlling the contamination of aquifers and surface water courses, coordinated
livestock management, conserving soil and water resources and seed stock management
(Roling and Pretty, 1997). In the present study, the agricultural
experts were also questioned about the importance rate of environmental security
dimensions in agriculture by 5 point scale. As Table 2 indicates,
the four important dimensions of environmental security in agriculture according
to the agricultural experts were: (1) conservation of basic resources, (2) dissemination
of new methods, (3) equality in distribution of resources and (4) reduce chemical
material in agriculture.
| Table 1: | Supportive policies regarding environmental security |
| 1Frequency, 2Standard deviation, Coefficient of Variable; 1 = Very low important, 2 = Low important, 3 = Moderate important, 4 = High important, 5 = Very high important, **: 1 = Highest rank, 8 = Lowest rank | |
In reference to the frequency of respondents about environmental security dimensions in agriculture, for example 52.8% of respondents stated that the conservation of basic resources had very high importance for supporting environment in agriculture and 38.2% of them stated that this item had high importance.
Human, Social and Economical Resources for Environmental Security in Agriculture
Ommani et al. (2008) claimed that, we need
a better understanding of socio-economic and cultural infrastructure in over
time and improved measures of efficiencies toward environmental security before
we can determine, in a given situation, the potential for increasing water productivity
through policy and institutional reforms and which reforms are most suitable.
Here, agricultural extension experts were asked to mention importance rate of
human, social and economical resources that must will be consider in environmental
security by 5 point scale (1 = very low, 2 = low, 3 = moderate, 4 = high, 5
= very high) (Allahyari, 2008). Ranking indicated that
the four most important resources regarding environmental security in agriculture
were: (1) increasing knowledge and skills of farmers, (2) indigenous knowledge,
(3) social participation and (4) improvement quality of life (Table
3). Based on frequency of respondents about importance rate of human, social
and economical resources regarding environmental security in agriculture, for
example, 60.7% of respondents stated that increasing knowledge and skills of
farmers for using sustainable methods had high importance and 38.2% of them
stated that this item had very high importance.
| Table 2: | Dimensions of environmental security in agriculture |
| 1Frequency, 2Standard Deviation, 3Coefficient of Variable; *: 1 = Very low important, 2 = Low important, 3 = Moderate important, 4 = High important, 5 = Very high important, **: 1 = Highest rank, 9 = Lowest rank | |
| Table 3: | Human, social and economical resources for environmental security |
| 1Frequency, 2Standard Deviation, 3Coefficient of Variable; 1 = Very low important, 2 = Low important, 3 = Moderate important, 4 = High important, 5 = Very high important, **: 1 = Highest rank, 9 = Lowest rank | |
| Table 4: | Perception levels of agricultural experts about environmental security |
| 1Frequency, 2Cumulative percent 1 =
Very low important, 2 = Low important, 3 = Moderate important, 4 = High important, 5 = Very high important, **: 1 = Highest rank, 9 = Lowest rank |
|
General Perception of Experts About Environmental Security
Here, general perceptions of experts about environmental security were asked
on a five scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = unsure, 4 = agree,
5 = strongly agree) (Ommani et al., 2009). Their
answers to these items in combination led to the perception of agricultural
experts about environmental security in agriculture. Based on interval of standard
deviation from the mean perception of agricultural extension experts about environmental
security in agriculture divided to five levels. Approximately, 32.5% of respondents
had moderate perception about environmental security in agriculture (Table
4). For calculating perception levels of agricultural extension experts
about environmental security in agriculture by interval of standard deviation
from the mean, was used below formula (Ommani et al.,
2009): A = strongly disagree: A = Mean-2SD, B = disagree: Mean-2SD <
B = Mean-SD, C = unsure: Mean-SD < C < Mean ± SD, D = agree: Mean
± SD=D < Mean±2SD, E = strongly agree: Mean+2SD = E.
CONCLUSION
Based on the research done by Ommani et al. (2008), both socio-economic characteristics and environmental conditions of the farm have increased the environmental insecurity for the Iranian farmers. They stated that smallholder farmers with under-developed socio-economic and environmental conditions are relatively poor. They concluded that lack of sufficient farm management competencies make higher water and soil erosion, over-fertilization, inadequate application of manure, lack of fallow, overgrazing, burning of crop residue and over-use of pesticides. Therefore, considering of supportive policies and dimensions of environmental security in agriculture can help to farmers for produce crops without depletion of environment. This study focused on supportive policies and dimensions of environmental security in agriculture. Ranking indicated that the four most important supportive policies regarding environmental security in agriculture were: encouraging farmers for using sustainable methods, increasing knowledge of farmers regarding environmental security, dissemination of organic farming and considering financial credit for regarding environmental security.
As the results indicated, the four most important dimensions of environmental security in agriculture were: conservation of basic resources, dissemination of new methods, equality in distribution of resources and reduce chemical material in agriculture.