Research Interests: Business and Ecotourism
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of economic and social factors on increasing public participation in the urban drinking water sector to develop a suitable plan for the coming years due to the growing population. The... more
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of economic and social factors on increasing public participation in the urban drinking water sector to develop a suitable plan for the coming years due to the growing population. The research instrument is a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed. Then, 1,230 questionnaires were distributed among the citizens of Ardabil, Iran. A two-stage Heckman approach was used to estimate the valuation model. The results showed that the education, age, water health concern, income, household cost, household size and water quality satisfaction had a significant role in the amount of willingness to pay extra (WTP). The results showed that the variable age, income and water quality have a positive effect on WTP; with increases in the age, income and the water quality, WTP increases. However, in contrast to the water bill, concerns about the health of water and children have a negative effect on WTP. The res...
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ABSTRACT: Forecast the price of agricultural goods is a beneficial action for farmers, marketing agents, consumers, and policymakers. Today, managing this product security requires price forecasting models that are both efficient and... more
ABSTRACT: Forecast the price of agricultural goods is a beneficial action for farmers, marketing agents, consumers, and policymakers. Today, managing this product security requires price forecasting models that are both efficient and reliable for a country’s import and export. In the last few decades, the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model has been widely used in economics time series forecasting. Recently, many of the time series observations presented in economics have been clearly shown to be nonlinear, Machine learning (ML) modelling, conversely, offers a potential price forecasting technique that is more flexible given the limited data available in most countries’ economies. In this research, a hybrid price forecasting model has been used, through a novel clustering technique, a new cluster selection algorithm and a multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN), which had many advantages and using monthly time series of Thai rice FOB price form November 1987 ...
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Ardabil plain is under water deficit due to its cold and dry climate in both drinking and agricultural water supply. One solution that can partially address this issue is comprehensive water management. In this study, to determine the... more
Ardabil plain is under water deficit due to its cold and dry climate in both drinking and agricultural water supply. One solution that can partially address this issue is comprehensive water management. In this study, to determine the global water value, both agricultural water and drinking water were valuated separately in Ardabil plain, Iran. In agriculture, major crops were valuated using the production function method. In the next step, the willingness to pay (WTP) extra for municipal drinking water was investigated. Finally, the results of irrigation water and drinking water assessment were combined to obtain the global water value. In addition, to obtain global water value, economic values in agricultural and urban drinking water were determined, which in agricultural sector was equal to 43,654,248 $ and in drinking water sector was equal to 8,546,384 $. Based on these results, the global water value was 52,200,632 $.
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The agricultural sector is facing an increasing demand for water in Iran due to the large disparity between the cost of water supply and the price paid by farmers. Therefore, the real price of water neds to be calculated. To this end, in... more
The agricultural sector is facing an increasing demand for water in Iran due to the large disparity between the cost of water supply and the price paid by farmers. Therefore, the real price of water neds to be calculated. To this end, in this study the economic value of water was calculated in the case of wheat, potatoes, alfalfa, barley and canola in Ardabil city using cross‐sectional data collection for the year 2018, with 1087 questionnaires completed by farmers in the area. Data were analysed using Excel, SPSS and EViews software products. The economic value of irrigation water after analysing the results for wheat, potato, alfalfa, barley and canola crops was 0.026, 0.092, 0.022, 0.0225 and 0.0474 US$/m3, respectively. Since these calculated economic values are quite high for different crops, production of the crops in question is economically viable and the water consumed economically justified. The price of water supply in the Ardabil plain varies between 0.00877 and 0.0175 U...
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The purpose of this study is to investigate comparative advantages of corn in comparison with other competitor crops. To do so, Linear Programming, to 2004-2005 data related to classic index (DRC) in Kermanshah province was applied.... more
The purpose of this study is to investigate comparative advantages of corn in comparison with other competitor crops. To do so, Linear Programming, to 2004-2005 data related to classic index (DRC) in Kermanshah province was applied. Results showed that corn has comparative advantages in all regions of Kermanshah province while in optimal cultivation pattern of 37.5 percentages of regions in existence of rotation and 50 percentages of regions in lack of rotation, corn acreage has been increased. In addition, comparing optimal cultivation pattern resulted from linear programming models with crops ranking based on comparative advantage indices indicated that, resources availability and limitations, tradable and non-tradable inputs costs and yield will lead to shift in production's comparative advantage from one crop to another. Factors such as supporting policies and rotation might also have effects on comparative advantages and optimal cultivating pattern.
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In this paper, the value of exchange rate was calculated in order to determine comparative advantage in crops of Sari Township during 2009-2010. Hence, first, comparative advantage indices are estimated by using a policy analysis matrix.... more
In this paper, the value of exchange rate was calculated in order to determine comparative advantage in crops of Sari Township during 2009-2010. Hence, first, comparative advantage indices are estimated by using a policy analysis matrix. The results showed that just wheat has a DRC index of one in the minimum amount of national currency exchange rate value. This indicated the fact that only wheat, compared to Rice, Soybean, Canola and Barley in this region, can compete with global markets and had a social profitable production system. Therefore, it is recommended that executive policies, which make competitive ability in wheat, should also be applied for other products.
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Using Telser and Kataoka models of probabilistic-risky mathematical programming, the present research is to determine the optimized pattern of cultivating the agricultural products of Shoshtar region under risky conditions. In order to... more
Using Telser and Kataoka models of probabilistic-risky mathematical programming, the present research is to determine the optimized pattern of cultivating the agricultural products of Shoshtar region under risky conditions. In order to consider the risk in the mentioned models, time period of agricultural years 1996-1997 till 2004-2005 was taken into account. Results from Telser and Kataoka models showed that due to accepting the risk amounts, most of the optimized amounts suggest the tomato cultivation during the cultivation period of fall, and watermelon cultivation during the cultivation period of spring. On the basis of results, due to allocation of agricultural lands of Shoshtar to tomato and watermelon cultivation and specializing the farming activity in this province, gross profit of agricultural production system can be increased to 6116047000 and 727782272 thousand Rials, respectively. The results of understudy models were investigated under different income scenarios and p...
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Institutionalization of Water Users' Cooperatives (WUAS) is one of the strategies for cooperative irrigation management, which lays the foundation for the participation of farmers in tackling water shortage challenge to reach the... more
Institutionalization of Water Users' Cooperatives (WUAS) is one of the strategies for cooperative irrigation management, which lays the foundation for the participation of farmers in tackling water shortage challenge to reach the objectives of sustainable management of agricultural water in an efficient manner. The main purpose of the present study was to identify the grounds for improving WUAs and prioritizing the effective factors for developing and strengthening these cooperatives. The statistical population was comprised of experts and members of the board of directors as well as elite farmers who were WUAs members in 2015 (n=40). The interviewees were selected through consensus sampling. The analytic hierarchy process was used to prioritize the mechanism of improvement and development of WUAs. Based on the final weights of the criteria, the mechanisms received the following scores: supportive mechanism (0.266), agricultural irrigation management (0.261), economic mechanism ...
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This study were examined relationship between bank credits and investment growth of agricultural sector in Iran during the period of 1982-2011 by auto regressive distribution lag bounds test approach. Basically, the growth investing of... more
This study were examined relationship between bank credits and investment growth of agricultural sector in Iran during the period of 1982-2011 by auto regressive distribution lag bounds test approach. Basically, the growth investing of the agricultural sector in Iran is related to oil revenues, bank credits, value added of agriculture sector and capital stock. The results confirm the existence of a long-run relationship between variables in model. In addition, according to the results, bank credit is the most significant variable in explaining the growth investing, so that increases access to it will encourage growth investment of the agricultural sector in Iran. The estimations show that elasticity of bank credits, oil revenues, stock investment and value added are 0.103, 0.015, 0.049 and -0.058 in the agricultural sector respectively.
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In Iran, the importance of landscapes and the need to preserve these unique assets is not particularly recognized especially at tourism and environmental sites. This study investigated the landscape valuation of Sheikh-Zahed Tomb in... more
In Iran, the importance of landscapes and the need to preserve these unique assets is not particularly recognized especially at tourism and environmental sites. This study investigated the landscape valuation of Sheikh-Zahed Tomb in Northern Iran. The contingent valuation method (CVM), which is based on a survey model, was used to assess visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) in order to preserve the landscape. The data used in this study were collected though face-to-face interviews with 157 visitors to a historic tomb in the first half of 2019. The results indicate that the average of respondents’ WTP to preserve the landscape was 0.47 $ per year. The annual total economic value (TEV) of the landscape is estimated to be 11 960 782 $. Respondents’ age, monthly income of the respondent’s household, the tomb accessibility, the tomb architectural attraction, and proposed price for the landscape preservation had significant effects on WTP. Proposed empirical model (CVM) provides a comprehe...
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Background: Due to the effects that chemical and inorganic foods have on the human body system and cause a variety of diseases, including cancer, the use of functional foods is highly recommended for people. In this study, the attitudinal... more
Background: Due to the effects that chemical and inorganic foods have on the human body system and cause a variety of diseases, including cancer, the use of functional foods is highly recommended for people. In this study, the attitudinal factors affecting the acceptance of functional dairy foods by urban consumers in Rasht, located in Guilan province, have been investigated.Methods: Data were obtained from 223 households in Rasht City, Northern Iran. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to investigate the effects of the general components of purchasing, the benefits of functional dairy food, the need of functional dairy foods, confidence in functional dairy foods, safety of functional dairy foods, health consciousness and healthy lifestyle, components on the willingness to buy of functional dairy foods.Results: The components of attitude towards healthy lifestyle and the general components of purchasing were the most effective factors in determining the acceptance of functio...
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The capital input scarcity and their late returns in health system together with other factors such as high cost of constructing new centers, expensive equipment, inadequate expert workforce and consequently slow development of healthcare... more
The capital input scarcity and their late returns in health system together with other factors such as high cost of constructing new centers, expensive equipment, inadequate expert workforce and consequently slow development of healthcare facilities have always encouraged policy makers and decision-makers of health sector to make optimum use of resources and adopt proper management policies. To ensure the provision of the best and high quality, healthcare services require evaluation of health sector, as efficiency assessment is the first step in performance evaluation. Health education has been one of the most important and inspiring roles of rural healthcare centers and health workers. To evaluate the performance and efficiency of rural healthcare centers in Langarud County is the main objective of this study which can help to improve the efficiency of rural healthcare centers, and also help to make proper plans and strategies to reach those goals and develop such centers. There we...
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In this study, the situation of Iran, U.S and Turkey's Pistachio export is investigated. to this purpose, Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index is calculated based on Agricultural and total economy export, separately, then... more
In this study, the situation of Iran, U.S and Turkey's Pistachio export is investigated. to this purpose, Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) Index is calculated based on Agricultural and total economy export, separately, then forecasted by using Auto- Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) approached, for 2008-2013. The results show that considering both commodity baskets, Turkey and Iran had comparative advantage in Pistachio export in 1982-2007, but U.S did not. Also, forecasting RCA index, based on both commodity baskets, show the improvement of U.S Pistachio export situation, unlike the values of RCA index forecasting for Iran and Turkey is falling. Therefore, it is recommended that Iran and Turkey attempt to identify new consumer markets in order to retain their market shares in pistachio export. Following the U.S imposed policies during last six years which improved its pistachio export, Iran and Turkey can increase their market shares.
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. Abstract: Over the past two decades, due to the global water scarcity, the role of WUAs in the farmers' participation in the agricultural water resources management has received much attention. The purpose of this descriptive study... more
. Abstract: Over the past two decades, due to the global water scarcity, the role of WUAs in the farmers' participation in the agricultural water resources management has received much attention. The purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate the factors affecting the participation of the WUAs members in the agricultural water management of Esfarayen County during 2014- 2015. The statistical population included all members of two WUAs Esfarayen County (N: 2440) among which 335 people were selected as the statistical population size using Cochran's formula, then the sample was identified using stratified sampling method. The Validity of the questionnaire was supported by the experts' views, and the reliability of research tools was obtained by doing a preliminary test through completing 30 questionnaires and the Cronbach's alpha value was obtained 0.88 using SPSS. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 20 and Excel 2010 . To examine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, the Spearman correlation analysis test, the Cramer's coefficient test, the Gamma coefficient and the chi- square test were used. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between the studied economic factors (farmers' income level, acreage owned by farmers, water prices), volume of water used, types of irrigation systems, and farmers' individual characteristics including education level and gender, and the variable of the level of farmers' participation in the WUAs. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between age and the level of members' participation.
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The collective pressurized irrigation system (CPIS), by definition, is expressed as a process of implementing unified pressurized irrigation systems on adjacent lands along with the participation of smallholders and the government and... more
The collective pressurized irrigation system (CPIS), by definition, is expressed as a process of implementing unified pressurized irrigation systems on adjacent lands along with the participation of smallholders and the government and utilizing a public well on integrated lands. This study investigates the factors that affect the tendency to adopt CPIS in Takestan County of Qazvin Province (Iran) over the years 2016–2017. The statistical population of this study includes farmers who use groundwater for irrigation in Takestan County (N = 1740). Of these farmers, 210 were selected as the sample size using Cochran formula, Chi-square, Phi and Cramer's V, and Lambda tests that were used to investigate the relationship between the proposed irrigation system adoption and different dependent variables. Seven research hypotheses were proposed and tested. Since there is a positive and significant relationship between all social communication features and the adoption of CPIS, it is, therefore, recommended that city officials provide more promotional/educational classes and necessary facilities to increase farmers’ acquaintance with new irrigation methods and raise their awareness about the benefits of such a participation in these schemes and programs. In doing so, there is a higher chance that farmers would cooperate to a greater degree in water management.
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Hazelnuts are nutrient nuts with complex matrices rich in unsaturated fatty and other bioactive compounds such as high-quality vegetable protein, fiber, minerals, tocopherols, phytosterols and phenolic compounds. One of the hazelnut... more
Hazelnuts are nutrient nuts with complex matrices rich in unsaturated fatty and other bioactive compounds such as high-quality vegetable protein, fiber, minerals, tocopherols, phytosterols and phenolic compounds. One of the hazelnut processing methods is its conversion into various products such as hazelnut butter. In this research, the use of different flavorings (cardamom, vanilla, and cocoa) in the production of hazelnut butter was investigated. Indicators for comparison and prioritization of flavorings include color, aroma, appearance, consistency, texture, spreadability and overall acceptance. Prioritization of flavorings was done by two techniques of riddling and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). These procedures were used under two approaches: The central index of median scores for 7 indicators and the inverse dispersion index of the coefficient of variation for 7 indicators. The results of both approaches showed that cacao was the first priority based on all seven indicators.
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ABSTRACT: Olive is one of the strategic products of Guilan province, northern Iran. Hence, it is very important to determine the optimal production pattern of olive, given the resources scarcity and the assessment of physical and... more
ABSTRACT: Olive is one of the strategic products of Guilan province, northern Iran. Hence, it is very important to determine the optimal production pattern of olive, given the resources scarcity and the assessment of physical and Comparative Advantage (CA). In this study, three physical advantage indices for olive production in Guilan province during 2008-2016 were investigated. Also, the CA, protection and competitiveness indicators of olive production at Guilan province for 2016-17 cultivation years were calculated using the Policy Analysis Matrix (PAM). Results showed that Guilan province had scale advantage in olive production. The highest degree of olive plantation concentration was on 2008 with scale advantage index of 2.49. Also, results of efficiency advantage showed that, except for 2008, olive production had efficiency advantage over all under study years at Guilan province. Results of Domestic Resource Costs (DRC) and Social Cost Benefit ratio (SCB) indicators for both tr...
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Because the importance of using water in agricultural production and lacking water sources, so, desired making use of water is very necessary. By considering water productivity in agricultural parts and its suitable utilization in... more
Because the importance of using water in agricultural production and lacking water sources, so, desired making use of water is very necessary. By considering water productivity in agricultural parts and its suitable utilization in producing these productions, it is possible to increase durability of these sources. In this study, the index of water productivity in cultivating of rice was measured in Guilan province. The most consumption of water was shown in Rasht suburb. Also, by considering the methods of water utilization and its management in this province, we can observe the pattern of correct utilization of water in other suburbs. Extending these valuable finding are very important in the cities with little pro ductivity. The results of logit model indicated the effective distribution of water via modern irrigated networks on consuming agricultural water in different suburbs of Guilan. So, developing these networks shall be the first priorities from the related authorities'...