مطالب

Purpose- Due to its special geographical location in the arid and semi-arid climate belt of the world, Iran suffers from water scarcity and limited usable water resources, notably considering the population growth and increasing demand for water and food. High water consumption in agriculture as one of the main water use sectors is estimated as 90% of total water, thereby necessitating consideration of water conservation methods. However, there are a number of barriers to use the current water conservation practices. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in Shahrabaad rural district, Bardaskan city. Design/methodology/approach- This is an applied study in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in terms of method, carried out using the random sampling method. The sample size was 338 households in the research area which was determined using Cochran's formula. Data were collected based on field and library studies. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by university professors and experts. The reliability coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.78 using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Moreover, the TOPSIS fuzzy model was used to rank the villages in terms of the effect of barriers to using the new irrigation technologies, and SPSS software was used for analyzing the research questions. Findings: Results showed that the economic dimension was the most important barriers to using the new irrigation technologies. In addition, low-socioeconomic status of the farmers and small loans are the most prominent barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies in the research rural district. Research limitations/implications - unavailability of statistical information when referring to the agricultural jihad and the governor’s office, and completing the questionnaire, depending on the subject at the village level, is one of the main challenges of the present study. Practical implications - Given the specific research findings, it is necessary for agriculture and water policy-makers take serious measures concerning the incentive (low-interest and long-term loans, micro-land integration and the like) and punitive (imposing restrictions on traditional land users and stipulating other supports to change the irrigation method) instruments, because otherwise water restriction and the consequences of water scarcity will be challenging in  many areas and even may lead to a serious crisis. Originality / value: This study is prima facie significant in terms of statement of the reasons for the barriers to equipping agricultural lands with the new irrigation technologies from the users' perspective and then, in terms of a more detailed analysis of the research findings to change the implementation of traditional irrigation methods.

Purpose- The growing attention to rural development issues has created a strong trend in related scientific communities, as over the last few years one can see the traces of this thinking in many relevant scientific trends. One of the most important relevant subjects was job creation using the resources available in rural areas in line with their industrialization and the emergence of agro-processing industries. Spatial distribution of rural industries, spatial justice and their fair distribution based on the distribution of rural settlements have been among the most important concerns in this field. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the distribution of agro-processing industries with a spatial approach in rural areas of Gilan Province.  Design/methodology/approach- This research is an applied one conducted in a descriptive-analytical method. The collected data were analyzed using the average nearest neighbor, multi-distance spatial cluster analysis, mean center and standard deviational ellipse. Results showed that industries in rural areas of Gilan Province have been located in clusters. Finding- That is, their sites were selected with an eye to favorable conditions such as proximity to cities, population centers and markets, access to infrastructure, proximity to political and decision-making centers, access to major roads, access to more raw materials and cheaper agro-processing industries. Such industries are often located in the counties of Rasht, Rudsar, Astar, Talesh, Lahijan, Langrud and Sowmehsara. Therefore, the officials in charge should make plans to establish agro-processing industries in a more scattered and diverse manner in Gilan Province.