Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://repository.ukim.mk/handle/20.500.12188/2

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 13

Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
From clay to crops: improving water productivity in rosemary and lavender under sandy soil conditions in South Africa
(Frontiers Media SA, 2026-07-29)
;
Stander, Hendrik Barend
;
;
Wolfaardt, Gideon M.
;
Goli, Imaneh
Background Increasing irrigation water productivity is a key strategy for achieving sustainable agricultural production. This study evaluated the performance of self-regulating low-energy clay-based irrigation (SLECI) as a sustainable alternative to surface and subsurface drip irrigation under water-scarce sandy field conditions, with a particular focus on quantifying the trade-off between irrigation water productivity and fresh biomass yield. SLECI system is a subsurface irrigation technology that uses microporous clay emitters buried within the crop root zone. Water is released passively in response to soil moisture deficits, as water flows through the clay pores only when soil suction exceeds the retention force of the emitter. This self-regulating mechanism delivers water directly to plant roots without the need for pumps, sensors, or external control systems. Methods The experiment was conducted on newly established, 1-year plantings of rosemary ( Salvia rosmarinus , Tuscan Blue variety) and lavender ( Lavandula stoechas , Hollandia variety) grown under open-field conditions at the Welgevallen Experimental Farm, Stellenbosch, South Africa (33°56′33″ S, 18°51′52″ E), from November 2023 to February 2024, during the hot-dry summer season. Results The highest fresh marketable yield of rosemary was obtained under subsurface drip irrigation (906 kg/ha), while lavender achieved its highest yield under conventional surface drip irrigation (3,625 kg/ha). Although yields under SLECI were lower, this system used substantially less irrigation water (533.2 m 3 /ha) over the 3-month period, compared with surface drip (6,800 m 3 /ha) and subsurface drip irrigation (3,060 m 3 /ha). Irrigation water productivity (IWP) demonstrated the water-saving efficiency of SLECI, producing 0.529 kg of fresh marketable rosemary per m 3 of applied water, nearly 4.5 times higher than surface drip irrigation. Similarly, SLECI achieved an IWP of 1.467 kg/m 3 for lavender, representing a more than 2.7-fold increase compared to surface drip irrigation (0.115 kg/m 3 ). Irrigation technique significantly affected fresh marketable yield. Subsurface drip irrigation and SLECI increased rosemary plant diameter relative to surface drip, whereas subsurface and surface drip irrigation promoted larger lavender plant diameters. Conclusion This study contributes to understanding how clay-based irrigation systems perform under severe sandy soil conditions and provides practical insights into the trade-off between water saving and crop productivity in semi-arid environments.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Training Needs Assessment: The Case of Female Rice Farmers in Northern Iran
(MDPI AG, 2022-03-10)
Goli, Imaneh
;
Azadi, Hossein
;
Miceikienė, Astrida
;
Tanaskovik, Vjekoslav
;
Stamenkovska, Ivana Janeska
<jats:p>An appraisal of training requirements responds to the issue of why training is needed and gives some assurance that the services needed to establish and conduct training can achieve the required outcomes based on performance. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the educational needs of female rice farmers in Sari (the capital of Mazandaran province located in Northern Iran). This study adopted a descriptive-correlational approach consisting of 1677 female rice farmers in Sari in 2013–2015. Finally, 240 respondents were selected and examined using Cochran’s formula and through stratified sampling with proportional assignment. The results of multivariate stepwise regression indicated that the level of participation (−0.488), the importance of economic factors (0.369), the number of training courses (−0.284), and marital status (−0.179) of female rice farmers were effective on the training needs level. According to the findings, training programs should take into account the educational needs of female rice farmers in order to gain the necessary expertise and skills in new methods and transfer them to other farmers.</jats:p>
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Importance of good groundwater governance in economic development: The case of western Iran
(Elsevier BV, 2023-05)
Sarami-Foroushani, Taraneh
;
Balali, Hamid
;
Movahedi, Reza
;
Kurban, Alishir
;
Värnik, Rando
Over the previous half century, increased groundwater mining has had significant social and economic implications that are still going on. Many solutions and frameworks have been proposed in the world to overcome these problems. In this study, we attempted to analyze the conditions of Hamedan-Bahar plain in terms of groundwater governance (GG). The groundwater governance indicators were evaluated using the Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). In general, the status of the groundwater governance (GG) indicators in the region shows that these indicators are all lower than the standard level and are not in good condition. Based on the results, the constructs of policy-making (β = 0.867), information and data (β = 0.866), and stakeholder engagement (β = 0.859) had the greatest effect on the latent variable (i.e., groundwater governance), while the other constructs had a moderate effect. Among the three constructs of water governance, the efficiency construct (β = 0.404) with the indicators of information and data, budget, legislation, and innovative measures had the greatest impact on the governance of groundwater resources in Hamedan-Bahar plain. Finally, the overall goodness of fit (GOF = 0.77) reflects the excellent fit of the model. According to the results obtained, the water system managers and policy makers in the province should increase stakeholders' knowledge and awareness about new frameworks of water resources governance. A robust framework is presented for policy makers and planners to identify the gaps and problems of water resources. Furthermore, various aspects and features should be emphasized simultaneously so as to achieve sustainable governance of groundwater resources.
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Farmers’ Participation in Modern Supply Chains: The Case of Mandarin Profitability in Punjab-Pakistan
(MDPI AG, 2022-11-07)
Mazhar, Rabia
;
Xuehao, Bi
;
Viira, Ants-Hannes
;
Stamenkovska, Ivana Janeska
;
<jats:p>In developing countries, supply chains are rapidly transforming. However, smallholder farmers, in particular, have experienced mixed impacts in inclusion and exclusion from modern supply chains (MSC). Therefore, by taking Pakistan’s mandarin industry as a case, this study aims to analyze the farmers’ efficiency and inclusiveness in modern supply chains and compare them across the farm size categories, i.e., small, medium, and large. For that purpose, cross-sectional data from 300 farmers were collected to test the posit objectives. The empirical investigation was made using the endogenous treatment effect model and the propensity score matching approach. Findings show that large farmers prefer to participate in MSC, driven by contractors, processors or exporters. Conversely, the smallholders are more inclined to participate in the traditional supply chains (TSCs), driven by village vendors, local retailers/consumers, middlemen, and traditional fruit and vegetable markets. The results also revealed a positive connection between efficiency and farmers’ inclusion in the MSC. Orchard size, education, off-farm income, and extension services positively impact profitability. In terms of an increase in farmers’ profitability, the efficiency improvement can benefit the resource-poor smallholders who make up 74% of the total farmers in the sample. Therefore, these results are noteworthy for devising policy actions to facilitate smallholder inclusion in the modern agri-food supply chains to alleviate rural poverty and ensure farmers’ wellbeing.</jats:p>
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Causes and Consequences of the Conflict among Agricultural Water Beneficiaries in Iran
(MDPI AG, 2020-08-17)
Bijani, Masoud
;
Hayati, Dariush
;
Azadi, Hossein
;
Tanaskovik, Vjekoslav
;
Witlox, Frank
<jats:p>This study aimed to analyze the causes and consequences of agricultural water conflicts among agricultural water beneficiaries in the irrigation network of Doroodzan dam, Iran. This research applied mixed-method and descriptive analysis, which was done in two qualitative and quantitative phases. The results showed that the causes of water conflicts can be divided into two groups of controllable and uncontrollable factors. The findings revealed that the main causes of agricultural water conflict in the studied area were ‘water scarcity’, ‘drought’, ‘physical structure of the Doroodzan dam irrigation network’, and ‘mismatched size of the irrigation network with Doroodzan dam’s water capacity’ as uncontrollable factors. Furthermore, ‘weakness of governmental water management’, ‘lake for local management of water resources by farmers’, ‘government’s reluctance about farmers’ participation’, and ‘farmers’ reluctance to participate in water management’ were identified as controllable factors. In this study, most of the conditions identified as consequences of water conflicts had ‘socio-economic’ and ‘agro-environmental’ aspects. Finally, based on the findings, a model was designed to determine the causes and consequences of agricultural water conflict. To break the causes and consequences cycle of water conflicts in Iran’s agriculture, the most important solution is shifting from governmentality to governance in water resources management.</jats:p>
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Assessment of non-monetary facilities in Urmia Lake basin under PES scheme: a rehabilitation solution for the dry lake in Iran
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2020-11-03)
Daneshi, Alireza
;
Panahi, Mostafa
;
Masoomi, Saber
;
Vafakhah, Mehdi
;
Azadi, Hossein
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
An attempt to develop ecotourism in an unknown area: the case of Nehbandan County, South Khorasan Province, Iran
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021-01-04)
Ghorbani, Amir
;
Mousazadeh, Hossein
;
Taheri, Fatemeh
;
Ehteshammajd, Shaghayegh
;
Azadi, Hossein
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Investigating Subjective and Objective Quality of Life in Rural Areas: the Case of Tehran Province in Iran
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2021-03-19)
Ardestani, Leila
;
Choobchian, Shahla
;
Sadighi, Hassan
;
Azadi, Hossein
;
Viira, Ants-Hannes
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Understanding Farmers’ Intention towards the Management and Conservation of Wetlands
(MDPI AG, 2021-08-16)
Valizadeh, Naser
;
Esfandiyari Bayat, Samira
;
Bijani, Masoud
;
Hayati, Dariush
;
Viira, Ants-Hannes
<jats:p>The aim of the present research was to analyze the farmers’ intention towards participation in the management and conservation of wetlands through the lens of the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). To do this, a cross-sectional survey of Iranian farmers was carried out. To select the samples, a multi-stage random sampling process with a proportional assignment was employed. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were verified using various quantitative and qualitative indicators. The results of the extended TPB using structural equation modeling showed that four variables, namely moral norms of participation in management and conservation (MNPMC), attitude towards participation in management and conservation (APMC), subjective norms towards participation in management and conservation (SNPMC), and self-concept about participation in management and conservation (SCPMC) had positive and significant impacts on intention towards participation in management and conservation (IPMC). The results also revealed that that entering MNPMC and SCPMC into TPB could increase its explanatory power. Also, the fit indicators supported the extended TPB. From a practical point of view, the present study provides justifications and insights for the use of MNPMC, APMC, SNPMC, and SCPMC in policies and programs intended to encourage farmers and local communities to participate in wetlands management and conservation.</jats:p>
Some of the metrics are blocked by your
consent settings
Determinants of farmers' choice to use irrigation systems: The case of northern Ethiopia
(Wiley, 2022-12-27)
Gebrekidan, Berhe Girmay
;
Abbay, Aradom Gebrekidan
;
Azadi, Hossein
;
Viira, Ants‐Hannes
;
Tanaskovik, Vjekoslav
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Climate change is thought to be having a negative impact on Africa's agricultural industry. Smallholder farmers who depend heavily on agriculture are more severely affected by climate change. Droughts and the depletion of water resources are two examples of how climate change affects production. Therefore, it is necessary to take steps to reduce the negative effects of climate change in Ethiopia on smallholder farmers in particular and agriculture in general. Therefore, the purpose of this analysis was to identify the factors that affect the increase in irrigation efficiency among farmers in northern Ethiopia. A total of 194 farmers were picked at random and questioned using semi‐structured questionnaires. Out of the 18 explanatory variables hypothesized to analyse the preference of farmers for using irrigation in the study area, only 13 were considered important. Of these 13 significant explanatory variables, 4 including health status, labour force members, availability of labour and perception of the advantage of using agricultural inputs were statistically significant with farmers' choice of irrigation.</jats:p>

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food

Browse

Filters

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Search Results