Attitude toward organic agribusiness: an approach to developing sustainable business

Abstract

PurposeToday due to the use of chemical fertilizers in Iran's agricultural sector, the human health has been in danger. While the literature has increasingly focused on investigating farmers' attitude toward organic agriculture, few studies have been conducted on the attitude of experts toward organic farming. To address this research gap, the current study was performed to investigate the determinants of the attitude of agricultural extension workers (AEW) toward organic agribusiness in Ilam province, Iran.Design/methodology/approachThe statistical sample of this study comprises 394 AEW in Ilam province (located in the west of Iran) selected through random simple sampling method. The instrument in this study was a questionnaire. Data were analyzed by using SPSSWin26 software.FindingsResults showed that the AEW's attitude toward organic agribusiness was at the moderate level. Findings of multiple regression analysis indicated that about 42.6% of AEW's attitude toward organic agribusiness is explained by the variables of “reading research articles”, “use of social networks” and “number of information sources”.Originality/valueThe results of this study have practical implications for promoting sustainable agribusinesses in order to produce environmentally friendly products. In this regard, they can encourage agricultural extension experts to study the findings of research in the field of organic agriculture, launching educational channels and groups on organic farming on social networks such as Telegram and WhatsApp, and encourage agricultural extension experts to join these groups. Finally, it is suggested that programs and films in mass media such as TV, radio and satellite programs be designed and implemented to raise people's awareness about organic agribusiness.

Determinants of entrepreneurial alertness: towards sustainable agribusiness development

“…Entrepreneurship is beneficial to the protection of sustainable development in Iran, particularly regarding agricultural sustainable career development. Sustainable agribusiness extension is taken seriously by agricultural managers of most countries (Shiri, 2021). The sustainable agribusiness development goals are the plans to accomplish a recovering and more sustainable future for all (Tajvidi and Tajvidi, 2021).…”

“…Furthermore, Ilam province, with its appropriate characteristics for the development of the agricultural sector in terms of regional and local capacities, can play an important role in the development of Iran's economy as an important agricultural hub in the future. Therefore, paving the way for sustainable agricultural development in this province can be considered one of the essential strategies for sustainable agricultural development in the Islamic Republic of Iran (Shiri, 2021). Therefore, this study was conducted among agricultural students in Ilam province (located in western Iran).…”

Swipe to Sustain: Exploring Consumer Behaviors in Organic Food Purchasing via Instagram Social Commerce

“…In light of the rising popularity of SNS [61], and the growing usage of SC technologies [62], the organic food industry today has an unprecedented opportunity to develop and prosper by leveraging SNS-based SC technologies for marketing and selling their products [42,43]. However, there has been a scarcity of research that focuses on how consumers of organic food products perceive SNS-based SC as an online commerce channel for purchasing these products [33].…”

“…Moreover, the crucial role of SC in promoting socio-economic stability is increasingly being recognized in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath [39][40][41]. Although there is considerable potential for the development of the organic food industry through SC platforms [42,43], there remains a lack of understanding regarding the factors that influence customers' behaviors in relation to using such platforms for purchasing organic food products [33,42,44].…”

Modern agribusiness within the framework of society 5.0

“…Society Modern agribusiness solutions and strategies within the frameworks of Society 5.0 include organic agribusiness models, where sustainbale organic farming is practiced on larger scale with the aim to provide healthier agro-products for customers without over-exploiting natural resrouces (Shiri, 2021).…”