We conducted this study in the Agogo Traditional Area of the Ashanti region of Ghana where there are numerous cases of conflicts between crop and animal farmers as a result of insufficient pasture for livestock, especially during the dry seasons. This has drawn the attention of various stakeholders in agriculture to the need for supplement feed through pasture establishment. The study examines farmers’ perception and the financial viability of pasture establishment for small ruminant production. The specific objectives of the study are as follow: to identify the cost and returns for the establishment of an acre of pasture, to assess the financial viability of pasture establishment on ‘cut and sell’ basis, to investigate farmers’ perception of pasture establishment for cattle production, to conduct a SWOT analysis of the establishment of pasture in Agogo. The study purports to analyze in detail, farmers' perceptions about the nature of the proposed 'Fodder Bank' policy and its likely effect on crop and livestock production, and whether the proposed policy could generate adequate monetary returns to induce its adoption at the farm level. The study seeks to provide evidence in support of SDG goals 2 (Zero hunger) and 12 (Responsible consumption and production) of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. To the authors' best of knowledge, this is envisage to provide valuable information to support policy initiatives intended to tackle the root cause of farmer-herder conflicts. The Asante Akim North Municipal is one of the 27 administrative Districts in the Ashanti Region. Its capital is Konongo- Odumasi. The population for this study comprises livestock and crop farmers in Agogo. Asante Akim North Municipal was purposively selected for the study because it is noted for its agrarian abilities and massive production of food in the Ashanti region. The multi stage sampling was employed in this study. At the first stage, Asante Agogo traditional area was selected purposively due to the fact that majority of the inhabitants engage in agricultural activities (GSS 2010). At the second stage, three communities in Agogo namely, Hwidiem, Ananekrom and Bebuso were selected purposively. At the third stage, quota sampling was used to obtain a specific number of farmers from each of the three communities to sum up to 150 respondents as shown in table. Simple random sampling technique was then used to engage the selected farmers in these communities. A sample size of 150 respondents were obtained using the Slovin’s formulae which is a scientific method of obtaining the sample size for a given population. Structured questionnaires consisting of open and close ended questions were used to gather primary data from respondents through face-to-face interviews. Interviews were conducted using the local dialect mostly to enhance communication and to clear all language barriers but English was used where the respondents could give accurate answers in English Language. Data per the questionnaires from respondents were concerning their perception of pasture establishment and the assessment of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of pasture establishment. Secondary data was sought from books, journals, dissertations and the internet. Useful and relevant information on the appropriate materials and their costs for establishing pasture was also obtained from the Agogo MoFA office, and the KNUST Department of Animal Science. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, tables and means were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of respondents. It was revealed in the study that majority of crop farmers have had their crops destroyed by ruminants especially cattle at least once. Additionally, the study showed that pasture establishment is one way through which crop farms destruction by livestock can be prevented as about 99% of farmers responded in the affirmative. The results for the financial viability of the venture under the assumptions used gave relevant results with BCR of 1.18 and NPV of GHC 3,160. The Internal Rate Return of the venture is estimated at 40.1% and a Pay Back period of 2.61 years. Therefore, it will be economically prudent for investors to commit resources towards establishing pasture. The perception index for commercial, economic and financial concerns of pasture establishment was 3.7 which is skewed toward agree. The statement that had the highest positive perception index was about the fact that pasture establishment will increase the quality of meat. This implies that respondents perceive that the commercial, economic and financial results of pasture establishment will be positive. The perception index for the social category was 3.66. The statement with the highest positive assertion by respondents is the fact that pasture establishment will help control the movement of animals. The perception index of 3.66 which is skewed towards agree means that pasture establishment will attract the support from the community and also bring more benefits to the society. In the category of technical concerns of pasture establishment, the overall perception index for this category is 3.15, which means that the respondents perceive they have a fair technical know- how concerning pasture establishment even though the venture requires technical know-how. In the category of institutional concerns, support and involvement in pasture establishment, the statement with the highest perception index is that MoFA will support farmers with the necessary resources in its capacity. With reference to the chi-square test, the study can conclude that there is a significant relationship between the type of farmer and the perception that support can be drawn from farmer-based associations, and the perception that pasture establishment will increase livestock production as well as the general sales of farmers. Lastly, the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the educational background of the farmer and the perception that it is not difficult to select planting materials for pasture establishment. farmers in Asante Akim Agogo should adopt the establishment of pasture since it is financially viable. The establishment of pasture in Asante Akim Agogo should be encouraged since it has the potency to reduce the farmer - herder conflicts and ensure food security. For successful pasture establishment, technical know-how is essential.

Although Turkey's agricultural sector is important in terms of national economy, it faces some important structural problems such as decrease in human capital in the agricultural sector. In order to solve these problems, within the "National Agricultural Project", a policy instrument named "Support for Young farmers Projects" (YFPS) was added to the support in 2016. The aim of this study was to evaluate the criteria used in the selection of the beneficiaries of young farmers' support within the scope of YFPS in Turkey. A survey was prepared to determine what features young farmers benefiting from project support have and the extent to which the selection criteria served the purposes of the support program. The survey was conducted in the TR 71 Region, which is at the center of Turkey, in June-August, 2017. A total of 248 young farmers (139 supported, and 109 non-selected farmers for support) were interviewed. The methodology used in this study was the Categorical Regression. The results showed that the applicants who benefited more from YFPS were in the following order: Female> married> those aged 18-30> people from rural areas with a population of 1, 000 or less> those with education in agricultural production> the disabled / martyr’ s relatives / ghazi, and those from enterprises with an annual income of TL 10, 000 or less. YFPS has breathed new life into agriculture by encouraging youths in rural areas, but this support has to be aimed at creating economically sustainable and viable enterprises.

So far, many technological solutions, like precision agriculture, offered to solve environmental challenges. But nowadays, ethical dimension has been added to other dimensions to protection of environment which shows the importance of attention to soft dimension beside hard dimensions in protection of environment. This research implemented for investigation of environmental moral norms among farmers in Shiraz County. In this study, survey technique and questionnaire instrument have been used to collect data from 272 farmers as a sample. Questionnaire validity was confirmed by agricultural extension and education experts, and its’ reliability was confirmed by pilot study and Cronbach’s Alpha. In this research, based on virtue theory, four types of environmental moral norms such as profit-centered orientation, water saving, taking responsibility and forecasting were investigated among farmers community. Results showed many farmers in spite of incidental acceptation of taking responsibility for consumers health, other organisms and biosphere, are following only their profits by excessive use of fertilizers and chemical pesticides and burning residuals. In other hand, many farmers in spite of incidental acceptation of future generation rights to use natural resources have a little forethought and practice unsustainable behaviors that can decrease future generation ability to use these resources. At the end, some suggestions recommended for farmers’ practical commitment to environmental moral norms.

Background: The long-term use of pesticides can cause harmful consequences to both human health and the environment. In the present research, we aimed to compare biochemical, hematological, and plasmatic measurements of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) between farmers and non-farmers. Materials and Methods: The study is cross-sectional and included 270 participants, with 135 farmers using pesticides and a control population of 135 non-farmers. The recruitment of the participants was conducted from August 2017 to the end of December 2019. Blood samples from participants were collected for the evaluation of biochemical markers of the function of the liver and determination of BChE activity. A whole blood sample with ethylenediamine tetraacetic anticoagulant (EDTA) was also taken for a complete blood count. Results: The results showed a statistically significant (P = 0. 03) decrease in mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) in the cases (28. 45 ± 2. 94 pg) as compared with controls (29. 17 ± 2. 54 pg). The statistical analysis of the renal parameters between the two groups determined that the uremia value was significantly higher in cases (34 ± 12 mg/dL) when compared to the control group (29 ± 8 mg/dL) P < 0. 001. The cases recorded a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (26. 22 ± 11. 59 U/L) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (25. 63 ± 13. 47 U/L) enzyme activities among cases versus controls. The results obtained showed a significantly decreased BChE activity in the group of cases exposed to pesticides (7554. 52 ± 2107 U/l) compared to the unexposed control group (10135. 58 ± 1909 U/l) (t-test, P < 0. 001). Conclusion: The education of the farmers on correct practices concerning phytosanitary use has the potential of reducing their exposure to these products.

Introduction: Climate change has become a global issue today, an issue that many people around the world are at risk of severely changing. These changes have led governments to put the preparation of their communities at risk at the forefront of their actions and programs. In this context, the role of governments at the local and national level and minimization programs of the impacts on communities and their associated consequences are important. In order to reduce the direct and indirect vulnerabilities of drought-affected areas, including social, economic, and environmental, and in broader geographical areas, these areas need strategies to mitigate the effects of drought and boost coping capacities. Focusing on adaptability to current climate changes is the most viable response in the face of an uncertain climate future. Since drought is a multifaceted phenomenon in terms of its impact on farmer driven communities, various social, economic and environmental aspects have to be considered to assess the capacities needed to counter this rough phenomenon. Khorasan Razavi is one of the provinces of Iran experiencing a very high drought with amount of 7. 89%. On average, 3. 7% of the area of Khorasan Razavi province has severe drought and 7. 17% suffers from very severe drought. Five province counties have the severe drought more than 50 percent. According to the data from the Meteorological Organization of Iran, until June 2019, Fariman is one of the regions with intense drought conditions in the province with a severe drought of %1. 40, a very severe drought of %2. 50, and a total of 3. 90% of drought. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the perceptions of rural farmer households of Fariman County against drought and long-term strategies for dealing with it to reduce the resulting damages. 2. Study AreaAccording to the latest divisions of the country, Fairman is one of the cities of Khorasan Razavi province, which is located in the north of the province. This county located at 58 degrees and 31 minutes to 60 degrees and 34 minutes east longitude and 35 degrees and 28 minutes to 36 degrees and 1 minute north latitude and has an area of about 3225 square kilometers which is equivalent to 1. 3% of the total area of the province. The center of this city is Fariman, which is located 75 km southeast of Mashhad along the Mashhad-Torbat-Jam and Herat routes, which is 216 km from the Afghan border. The city is also located at the altitude of 1411 meters above sea level and is 26 square kilometers. At present, this city includes two at the present time, the city consists of two central and non-central parts. Materials and Methods: To do this research, based on Lucas and Hilderink's (2005) triple approach, which includes knowledge, ability, and action, we assess the dealing capacities and adaptability in rural communities. Then, two approaches, crisis management knowledge (such as dimensions of prevention, preparedness, exposure and institutional-communication) and local community resilience approach (including structural and non-structural approach), were combined with Lucas and Hilderink's triple approach and examined based on an integrated model The present study, with a descriptive-analytical approach and practical nature, seeks to evaluate and measure the coping capacity of farmers in Fariman, which includes two basic steps: . Determination of indicators and criteria for the dealing capacity and adaptability among rural households using desk studies; 2) 2) Field studies were conducted through survey method and questionnaire tools. The main theoretical approach of the research is the theory of Lucas and Hilderink (2005) on promoting the dealing capacity against drought hazard which includes three dimensions of awareness, ability, and action. Results and Discussion: Findings at levels of dealing capacity and adaptability indicate undesirable and weak conditions of farmers against drought. According to the results of the study, farmers have known lack of precipitation with amount of 3. 61% of the drought, the According to the results, farmers have considered the lack of precipitation with amount of 3. 61% as the main cause of drought in their village, which is consistent with the experience of drought in Iran, especially in the last two decades. Their village, which this issue is consistent with the experience of drought in Iran, especially in the last two decades. The goal of dealing and adaptability strategies is to increase farmers' ability to cope with drought and its effects in different areas. Therefore, assessing ability against drought is another step that points to assessing the potentials of farmers for dealing drought hazard. As the findings of the study show, the average resilience dimension in the prevention dimension was estimated to be 2. 27 and it suggests that in the absence of sufficient awareness, the indigenous people will not be able to take preventive measures at the individual or broader level to cope the drought and As the research findings show, the average ability in the prevention dimension was estimated to be 2. 27, which indicates that in the absence of awareness, consequently cognitive to predict risks such as drought is not formed or is very weak. This factor makes the indigenous person unable to take preventive measures at the individual or wider level in the face of drought even in structural dimensions of action capacity, the average was reported to be 2. 18, indicating a very low capacity of farmers against the consequences of drought in their rural area. In other two dimensions of ability, namely, preparedness and exposure, the mean level was 2. 19 and 2. 16, respectively. These average levels explicitly These levels explicitly indicate the low level of farmers' ability in the context of coping capacity and adaptability. below the level of ability of farmers in terms of dealing capacity and adaptability. When the low ability capacity is perceived, it does not necessarily lead to action capacities against drought. In the non-structural and institutional-communication dimensions, the findings indicate a worse situation. This means that the local government does not receive significant performance from farmers in discussing the institutional-communication element for drought management and minimizing its effects. This low institutional performance points to the incompatibility between local people and local government, which will be an additional factor in the wider drought in the region. Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that short-term coping capacity and long-term adaptability by farmers are at serious risk. Findings show that at all three levels of awareness, ability, and especially action, the situation is undesirable, and if no effective action is taken either to increase the resilience of farmers or to manage the drought crisis in rural areas, this situation, in the long run may lead to complete soil degradation, loss of groundwater resources, and even complete evacuation or removal of the settlement. Therefore, in this regard, it is better for the local government, with the help of the central government and considering entering the wet season, not only to improve and repair the resources and infrastructure lost during the drought, but also with the adaptive capacity approach to further development the sustainability among local people and at the level of rural development and provide the necessary infrastructure.

The major purpose of this study was to examine the success farmer field school in increasing efficiency of wheat farmers in Hamidieyh. In order to assess the effectiveness of this scheme on the efficiency of farmers, this study is done in 1388-89 crop years in Hamidiyeh Township between group members and non-member farmers in the project. To calculate the efficiency, in this study two case fixed and variable returns to scale is used. The study results show that farmers who have participated in this scheme have higher efficiency than the other group and the main difference between these two groups is related to allocation efficiency. Also, the results show that variables such as experience, education and participation in training class have a significant and positive effect on wheat farmer's efficiency.

Objective: Network is a concept used to understand organizational relationships between economic actors. Networks are a form of business and innovation system and are powerful mechanisms for communication. The main objective of this research is to analyze the spatial network of poultry farmers in Shazand County in terms of cohesion and intra-and inter-group links through the E-I grouping index, separated by geographical levels of village, district, and section. The higher the inter-group relationships, the higher the social capital will be along with higher social cohesion. Methods: The statistical population of this study consisted of all poultry farmers in the villages of Shazand County in 2023 (68 farms). The required data were collected through interviews and determined using UCINET software. Results: The results of network analysis showed that the E-I grouping index in social relationships among poultry farmers was 4. 97% at the village level, 4. 75% at the district level, and 7. 41% at the section level, indicating a very high tendency for intra-group communication among poultry farmers at the village level. According to research findings, the power of intra-group communication among poultry farmers at the village level is significantly higher than that at the district and section levels. The spatial analysis of E-I index findings in relationships between poultry farmers based on village, district, and section indicates a greater tendency for intra-group communication. Conclusions: Considering the importance of geographical distance, wind direction, traffic flow, direct communication in pollution and disease transmission between farms, as well as maintaining stability and health of farms and avoiding various types of pollution and diseases and specific environmental conditions. . . Intra-group communication among farms at the village, district, and section levels has increased while there is a decrease in inter-group communication.