Even with significant breakthroughs in the production and delivery of meteorological information, most farmers are not able to utilize such information properly and pertinently. Up to the present time, a standardized scale has not been developed to examine farmers’ sustainability barriers to meteorological information use (BMIU). Furthermore, there is no doubt that identifying indicators and dimensions of sustainability barriers to meteorological information and weather forecasts’ usage by farmers can play a major role in their adaptation and resilience to the risks of climate change. Therefore, the present study aimed to generate and validate a scale for BMIU by farmers through an eight-step approach. Accordingly, the statistical population included 9006 Iranian farmers, 368 of whom were selected as study samples. The principal component factor analysis (PCFA) and second-order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were further practiced to develop the scale for meteorological information and weather forecasts’ use. Factor analysis also led to the emergence of five latent factors including “educational–communicative barriers (ECBs)”, “normative barriers (NBs)”, “informational barriers (IBs)”, “infrastructural–political barriers (IPBs)”, and “professional–economic barriers (PEBs)”. The second-order CFA correspondingly confirmed these five factors and their 25 related indicators. Given the challenges facing academic scholars, decision makers, and authorities in the application and facilitation of meteorological information, the developed multidimensional scale in this study along with its implementation steps can be effective in examining the limitations of utilizing such information and measuring its impacts in different agricultural communities.
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of psychological capital on villagers' entrepreneurial spirit through the mediating role of psychological empowerment. Present study is an applied research, which was based on structural equation modelling in terms of the method of analysis. Statistical population was villagers of Nahgadeh County (N = 12,155) that was estimated using Krejcie and Morgan sampling table (n = 375). The samples were selected using stratified random sampling method. Research tool was a structured questionnaire which its validity confirmed by a panel of experts. Furthermore, the reliability of the research instrument was accomplished through Cronbach's alpha coefficients (0.86 ≤ α ≤ 0.92). Structural equation modelling was employed in order to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that direct effect of psychological capital on psychological empowerment (t = 3.61, γ = 0.24) was positive and significant. Besides, psychological capital (t = 4.28, γ = 0.28) and psychological empowerment (t = 8.67, γ = 0.59) positively and significantly affected entrepreneurial spirit. The analysis of indirect effects demonstrated that the indirect effect of psychological capital on entrepreneurial spirit was significant (γ = 0.42). Finally, it should be mentioned that independent variables could account for 57% variance of entrepreneurial spirit and fitness indices of the model were at an acceptable level.
Conflicts over rangeland exploitation have been a serious challenge in Iran, rooted in human behavior. Accordingly, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive theoretical framework in the field of analyzing conflict behavior among rangeland exploiters. This research is a descriptive-correlational and causal-relational study conducted using a cross-sectional survey. The statistical population of the study was rangeland exploiters in one of the northwest provinces of Iran (N = 66,867) of whom 384 people were selected as a sample and stratified random sampling method with proportional assignment. The research instrument was a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by a panel of academic experts and the reliability of its items was verified using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The results showed that the variables of personal norms (PN) and the perceived behavioral control were able to predict 25.9% of the variance in terms of the conflicting behavior of rangeland exploiters; besides, ascription of responsibility, PN, perceived behavioral control, and awareness of consequences, which have been proposed as activators of PN, were able to explain a significant percentage (63.5%) of the variance in terms of PN. Furthermore, analysis of the effects of environmental and cultural values showed that conflict behaviors of exploiters were mostly affected by their underlying values. Generally, the results of this study would help in the development of more integrated and comprehensive models in the field of exploiters’ conflict behavior. Eventually, to change and improve the environmental behavior of exploiters to better management of conflict in rangelands, providing a list of considerations and competencies for agricultural extension and education, this article comes to the end.
Strengthening and paying attention to entrepreneurial spirit among the members of society are of important topics in entrepreneurship. Meeting the goals in this field requires some contextual factors that are considered as the prerequisites of ground setting for entrepreneurship. Present study aims to investigate the effects of contextual factors on the entrepreneurial spirit among members of agricultural cooperatives in Naghadeh Township. Present study is an applied research which was carried out through cross-sectional survey. Statistical population of this research was members of cooperatives (N=1170). Krejice and Morgan Table was used to determine the sample size (n=290). A stratified random sampling method was implemented to select samples. The data collection instrument was a structured questionnaire that its validity confirmed by a panel of experts. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to test the reliability of different parts of questionnaire (0.88≤α≤0.92). The results of structural equation modeling showed that economic, social, technological, and political factors have positive and significant effects on entrepreneurial spirit. So that the value of the determination coefficient (R 2 ) could account for 0.66% of the variance of the dependent variable. According to the results, it is recommended that agricultural cooperatives be given more attention by policymakers because of their potential in entrepreneurship and improving entrepreneurial spirit.
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