چکیده
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Over the past decades, agro-ecological measures, such as conservation agricultural initiatives (CAIs) have been
widely implemented in developing countries, in like manner with Tabriz city as would be a leading case situated
in northwest Iran. In light of linear discriminant analysis (LDA), this cross-sectional research calls on a
knowledge gap respecting the differentiation of farmers who become involved in CAIs (adopters) from those not
involved (non-adopters), as three data modules, including attitudinal, soil testing, and topographical data, were
used. The study takes advantage of a sample of 382 respondents, stratified as regards the geographical location
of their farms. Using theory-triangulation, the theoretical foundation enfolds demographic theory, the theory of
planned behavior, innovation diffusion model, and resource-based model. The results of hierarchical LDA provide
evidence that the hypothesized model is entitled to be fitted with data and accordingly three variables
including (1) observability, (2) farm revenue, and (3) compatibility ascertain adopter farmers from non-adopter
ones. Furthermore, it was revealed that the soil dynamic quality features, such as electrical conductivity, EC, (dS
m−1) (Mann-Whitney U=353, P < 0.05) and organic carbon content, OC (%), (Mann-Whitney U=935.5,
P < 0.05) were significantly different between the two groups of farms, while carbonate calcium equivalent,
CCE (%) (Mann-Whitney U=935.5, P > 0.05) showed no significant differences. Likewise, the topographical
data analyzed in ArcGIS software make manifest that CAIs farms have more steady topographic features rather
non-CAI farms and are also situated in the regions with a gradient of less than 5%. In conclusion, the paper
delivers management implications for the agricultural extension and authorities of the agricultural research
centers who tend to promote CAIs in on-site and off-site farmlands.
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