Exploring the motivations and problems of farmers for conversion to organic farming in Iran

Identifying and understanding the heterogeneity of the motivations and problems of farmers is critical for designing better strategies as societies strive to convert towards agricultural approaches such as organic farming and sustainable intensification. The objective of this research is to explore...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of agricultural sustainability Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 303 - 320
Main Authors Veisi, Hadi, Carolan, Michael S., Alipour, Ali
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Taylor & Francis 04.05.2017
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects
Agronomy
Community supported agriculture
Conversion
Ethics
Farmers
Farmers markets
Farming
Farms
Government procurement
Green procurement
intensification
motivations
Organic farming
problems
Scaling
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable development
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Summary:Identifying and understanding the heterogeneity of the motivations and problems of farmers is critical for designing better strategies as societies strive to convert towards agricultural approaches such as organic farming and sustainable intensification. The objective of this research is to explore the motivations and problems for conversion to organic farming in Iran. Survey data of Iranian organic producers were collected during the first half of 2015. These data were used to find the statistical determinants of motivations and problems for organic production. Results suggest that economic motivations, health, safety concerns and environmental issues are the predominant motives for conversion, while social and ethical motives are of lesser importance. Problems experienced during conversion relate to marketing, agronomic issues, lack of governmental and institutional support, negative pressure from other farmers and farm groups, and lack of physical and financial capital. To prosper, the Iranian organic sector must overcome fundamental economic problems and challenges. Some of the strategies recommended include the development and scaling up of sustainable intensification, strategies that encourage farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture (CSA) initiatives, and sustainable procurement.
ISSN:1473-5903
1747-762X
DOI:10.1080/14735903.2017.1312095