International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development (Dec 2015)
Extent of the Use of Drought Management Practices by Farmers in Tafresh County
Abstract
The extent of utilization of drought management practices by the farmers of Tafresh County was studied in a descriptive-correlational research. Statistical population consisted of all farmers in Tafresh County which summed up to around 9061 people out of which 300 farmers were taken as the sample in accordance with Cochran’s formula. The main tool of the study was a questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of expert consisting of some faculty members of Islamic Azad University, Garmsar Branch and the University of Tehran, and the reliability of the questionnaire was estimated as to be 0.848 using Cronbach Alpha. The results of correlation test indicated a direct, significant relationship between the extent of utilization of drought management practices and the variables of agricultural activities experience and the level of farmers’ social capabilities at 0.01 level. Moreover, there was a negative significant relationship among age, farming experience and the application of drought management practices at 0.01 level. Finally, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that three variables, i.e. extent of farmers’ social capabilities, experience of agricultural activities and the age of the farmers, had the greatest influence on the extent of utilization of drought management practices.
