Evaluating Sustainable Agriculture Development with an Entrepreneurial Approach (Case Study: Khouzestan Province)

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
P. mooridosadat
A. Rokn-Al-Din Eftekhari
Geography Deartment, Human Science Faculty, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction

Sustainable agriculture is a multidimensional and complex system that deals with many challenges because of the modernization and economic-oriented policies. the most important sustainability challenges are Population growth and urbanization, changing consumption patterns, food health and security, unemployment, profitability, green markets and technologies, farmers' empowerment and environmental risks such as climate changes, water resources and land scarcity .Therefore, finding an efficient solution to integrating the economy and the environment play a crucial role in sustainability.

Ecological modernization based on the capacity of innovation, technological changes, green growth, entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs is the key to the relationship. So, the multidimensional approach of entrepreneurship which called “Sustainable Entrepreneurship “has been emphasized as a strategic intervention. It is improved economic, environmental and social values simultaneously. Sustainable Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying, creating and evaluating sustainable businesses or improving existing businesses by using the sustainable innovation solutions. It is create sustainable opportunities by providing worthwhile goods and services for the economic, social and environmental goals of sustainable development. The policies and markets failure is the turning point in emerging these opportunities, and sustainable entrepreneur is a catalyst which links financial capital, human resources, and ideas etc. In this framework, sustainable agriculture is improved with an entrepreneurial approach which called entrepreneurial sustainable agriculture (ESA). It is accessible throughout the entrepreneurship progress in the process of developing agricultural sector within the framework of the sustainable development paradigm. ESA is achieved through the entrepreneurship development in the agricultural sector within the framework of sustainable development

In Iran, for more than two decades, sustainable development and entrepreneurship have been emphasized in macro and agriculture sector policy, and in the five-year social, cultural and economic development plans (from second plan to now- Currently the sixth development plan is being implemented). Therefore, some improvements toward sustainability are expected Although, agricultural sector of Iran and also Khuzestan province as one of the most noteworthy agricultural areas and one of the pole of agronomy, are faced with many unsustainability issues such as poverty, unemployment, uneducated and unskilled farmers, traditional practices and thoughts, lack of investments, credits and insurance, the uncontrolled exploitation of external inputs, contamination of natural resources, waste abundance etc. Therefore, in order to determine the road map of policymaking toward sustainable agriculture, evaluating the status of entrepreneurial sustainability of agricultural sector, and the gap between this and the desired situation is very important. The main purpose of this study is evaluating sustainable agriculture development with an entrepreneurial approach in Khuzestan province.



Methodology

This is a survey and applied research. Document analysis and two types of questionnaire are used for data gathering. The first questionnaire related to find the proper indices to measuring ESA concept that is consist of 3 dimensions and 12 sub dimensions (elements). These include 6, 4, and 2 elements, respectively, in social (Justice and Equality; Decentralization and participation; Knowledge, culture and empowerment; Quality of Life; Research and Development(R & D); Institutional development), economic (Development of investment and infrastructure; Employment; Commerce and market; Productivity and profitability) and environmental (Conservation and restoration of natural resources; Natural resources and environment management) dimensions. It is answered by 13 experts who selected by purposive and snowball sampling methods. So 63 indices including 29, 22 and 12 respectively includes social, economic and environmental dimensions are approved to make the second type of questionnaire. It is about determining the current status of ESA. It has been answered by 495 Agronomists of Khouzestan province. The sample is selected by random and Probability Proportional sampling methods from three climatically homogeneous regions of Khouzestan province included Mediterranean, arid and semi- arid. The validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed by elites and Cronbach's alpha test. Descriptive analysis including frequency, mean and percentage, linear normalization method, ANOVA and Tukey test, Spline interpolation technic and SPSS ,Excel and GIS software used for data analyzing.



Results and discussion

Descriptive results show that just 10.7 percent of samples are active in producing healthy products. Just one of them (1.9%) had attempted to certify his organic products. The use of sustainable agricultural technologies is the lowest thought 10 percent. Only two respondents (0.4%) did not use pesticides and fertilizers at all.

The quality of life (normal score= 0.25), employment (0.24) and Conservation and restoration of natural resources (0.11) respectively, In the social, economic and environmental dimensions are in the best and R & D (0.00), Development of investment and infrastructure (0.08) and Natural resources and environment management (0.05) in the worst situation than other elements. In addition, the social (0.20) and economic (0.18) and also ESA (0.19) status of the semi-arid region is better than the dry (0.16) and Mediterranean (0.12) regions. There are the significant differences, at 1 percent error level, among the three dimensions and between arid and semi-arid with the Mediterranean.

The integrated approach of this study is unique in Iran. So there is no similar study for comparison. However, the results matches with the findings of kouchaki et al. (2013) regarding the low level of agricultural sustainability and the studies of Nasrollahi et al. (2011) is in line with the unbalanced development of the cities of khouzestan.

Conclusion

The status of dimensions and elements of ESA in Khouzestan province and its regions indicates the heterogeneity of the degree of ESA development. This is against the principle of justice in sustainable development. Besides, Based on Prescott Allen's sustainability barometer, Human welfare status is better than ecosystem welfare. All over the status of the entrepreneurial sustainable agriculture of khouzestan province was bad and unacceptable or unsustainable. In this regard, the spatial analysis indicated the spatial imbalance of ESA dimensions and focusing development mainly in the northern and central regions of the province






Keywords

Subjects

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The Journal of Spatial Planning and Geomatics
Volume 22, Issue 3
October 2018
Pages 80-111