Factors affecting environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable agriculture in Iran.

Abstract

The perception of greenhouse owners about the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable agriculture was discussed in this article. The methodology used in this study involved a combination of descriptive and quantitative research and included the use of correlation, regression and descriptive analysis as data processing methods. The target population for this study consisted of greenhouse owners in the Province of Tehran (N=1787). By multi-stage cluster sampling technique, 306 respondents were selected. Data were collected through interview schedules. The regression analysis showed that the farming and policy making factors determined 26% of variance on the perception of respondents regarding the environmental aspect of sustainable agriculture. Also, 19% of the variance on perception of respondents about economic aspect of sustainable agriculture could be explained by economical and policy making factors. In addition, 33% of the variance on perception of respondents about social aspect of sustainable agriculture could be explained by farming and extension/education factors. The results demonstrated that economic factors are the most important factors affecting the different aspects of sustainable agriculture. Successful adoption of sustainable agriculture by greenhouse owners in Iran will depend on the economic, policymaking, farming, extension and education and social factors, respectively. Key words: Environmental aspect, economic aspect, social aspect, sustainable agriculture, Iran, greenhouse.