hadi veisi | Shahid Beheshti University (original) (raw)

Papers by hadi veisi

Learning ecology of IPM/FFS: the impacts of sustainability and health of agroecosystem, 2024

Farmer field school (FFS)/integrated pest management (IPM) functions as a facilitative mesosystem... more Farmer field school (FFS)/integrated pest management (IPM) functions as a facilitative mesosystem in Agricultural Innovation Ecosystems, spanning across problems and sectors. It addresses the interface between farmers and the environment, opening new trajectories for sustainable transition and promoting healthy agroecosystems. This paper applies the bioecological model to feed the community capital framework with field evidence of the impacts of two IPM/FFS projects from Iran using participatory approach. The findings demonstrate that farmer field schools (FFSs), through the proximal process, foster reciprocal interactions among farmers, enhancing human capital by unlocking their learning potential through the acquisition of new skills and abilities. Additionally, FFSs encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills among participants, contributing to their overall growth and development. Findings also reveal that the timeline of FFS for the growing season makes networking possible with trainers, researchers, decision-makers, and consumers. Drawing on these results, the bioecological model in a participatory manner can be applied to mapping out the pathway of FFSs' impacts at various levels toward a healthier and sustainable agroecosystem. By using these insights and results, decision-makers can connect and guide programs for developing micro-agricultural knowledge and innovation systems to foster a sustainability transition in agriculture more realistic.

Environment Systems and Decisions, 2023

Soil health and conservation agriculture are two pivotal components of soil security that link ag... more Soil health and conservation agriculture are two pivotal components of soil security that link agricultural and soil science to policy by integrating stakeholders, scales, functions, and assessment tools, going beyond crop production or other human profits (e.g., human health). The study employed the Analytical Hierarchy Process to integrate the perspectives of two key stakeholders, namely farmers and experts, in order to identify soil health indicators that could guide the selection of conservation tillage systems. The primary objective was to determine the priority assigned to different soil health indicators by these stakeholders. The results showed that farmers prioritized and assigned a higher weight to soil mineral nitrogen, soil organic carbon, and soil water content to enhance the soil health by means of the conservation tillage systems. Conversely, agricultural experts assigned the highest weight to soil organic carbon, soil water content, soil respiration, and soil microbial biomass when choosing the proper tillage systems to improve soil health. Further, the results indicated that farmers and agricultural experts prefer no-tillage and reduced tillage systems to enhance soil health. More so, farmers and experts together indicated that these criteria accounted for 59% of the selection of no-tillage, 34% for reduced tillage, and 19% for conventional tillage systems. The results showed the usefulness of our work as an analysis framework to inform policy makers for supporting No-Tillage crop management programs and other agroecological engineering practices. Our findings could be broadly used to offer insights into crafting soil health policy and soil security for transitions toward sustainable and healthy ecosystem.

article, 2023

Participatory modes of agricultural research have gained significant attention over the last 40 y... more Participatory modes of agricultural research have gained significant attention over the last 40 years. While many scholars and practitioners agree that engaging farmers and other stakeholders is a valuable complement to traditional scientific research, there is significant diversity in the goals and approaches used by participatory projects. Building on previous conceptual frameworks on divergent approaches to participatory farming research (PFR), we propose an updated synthetic typology that can be used to design, evaluate, and distinguish PFR projects. Key elements of our typology include a recognition of the multidimensionality of projects that reflect different combinations of: (a) the goals or motivations behind engaging farmers in research, (b) the specific methods or approaches used to implement a PFR project, and (c) the social, institutional, and biophysical contexts that shape the dynamics and outcomes from PFR. We use this typology to highlight how particular manifestations of participatory agricultural research projects-ranging from farmer advisory boards, on-farm demonstrations, and researcher-versus farmer-led on-farm research projects-combine goals, methods, and contexts in distinctive ways. Proponents of PFR projects would benefit from clarifying how their work fits into or extends this multidimensional typology.

Environmental Sciences

305 megajoules per hectare). The use of chemical fertilizers had the largest share in the energy ... more 305 megajoules per hectare). The use of chemical fertilizers had the largest share in the energy sector (except alfalfa). In the alfalfa crop, due to high mechanization operations, machinery had the largest share of energy consumption. Carrot was the most productive in water consumption (7.08 kg/m 3) and energy (1.03 kg/mJ). Also, the lowest water and energy efficiency for canola (0.44 kg/m 3) and energy (0.06 kg/MJ) were obtained. In the economic index of water and energy productivity, the highest values were obtained for cucumber (92959 Rials per cubic meter) and carrot (13202 Rials per megajoule), respectively. The lowest economic efficiency of water and energy was calculated 1549 Rials per cubic meter for carrots and 10688 Rials per megajoule for canola. This study showed that the WEFNI was calculated 0.86, 0.73, 0.51, 0.41, 4 / 0, 0.3, and 0.26 for carrot, cucumber, potato, wheat, barley, canola, and alfalfa crops , respectively, in Dehgolan city. Carrots received the highest WFENI score (best score) and alfalfa the lowest (worst score). Although potato, which is one of the water crops with a high level of cultivation in the region, had high water and energy consumption, due to its high physical productivity and economic productivity, it obtained the third score of the total index. Conclusion: In this study, agricultural products were compared based on indicators of water and energy consumption, physical productivity of water and energy, and economic productivity of water and energy. Based on these indicators, the water, food, and energy link index were calculated. The results can also be used as an effective tool to determine appropriate strategies for cultivation patterns, management of water and energy resources in the region, and a basis for planning and agricultural policies in the county.

Sustainability

The COVID-19 epidemic has caused unprecedented impacts on the travel and tourism industry. The cu... more The COVID-19 epidemic has caused unprecedented impacts on the travel and tourism industry. The current study traced the impacts of COVID-19 on tourism in Iran using an “Impact Pathway (IP)” approach to identify impacts and possible mitigation strategies. The results illustrate two main impact pathways: negative impacts along the economic-institutional and socio-cultural dimensions, and positive impacts along the physical-environmental dimension. Using SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) and ANP (analytic network process) models, we identified defensive and review strategies as optimal for increasing resilience against the impacts of COVID-19. These strategies control the threats and weaknesses of negative impacts and enhance the opportunities and strengths emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic for tourism. We use this information to identify optimal strategies for dealing with the impacts of this crisis on tourism. Most prominently among them is the development of...

Agricultural Water Management

University of Tehran, 2016

The evidence from experiences and projects have revealed that favourable policy environment, reso... more The evidence from experiences and projects have revealed that favourable policy environment, resource conserving technologies, enabling external institutions, and local institutions and groups are the components and the preconditions needed for the successful implementation of sustainable agriculture. In this context, the mission of government is providing an appropriate institutional environment for the development and enforcement mechanisms of sustainable agriculture. Accordingly, in the present article, agricultural stockholders' viewpoints including official experts, scientists, researchers, and business about strategies as a set of rules and devices within a mechanism for sustainable agricultural development have been explored. Stratified random sampling was used to identify 95 respondents. Content validity and reliability of research instrument were examined using a panel of experts and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. Factor anlysis was employed to determine the strategies of sustainable agricultural development. Overall, results showed that strategies in the three categories including: enabling – e.g. supportive and extension practices, developing social capital, and encouraging institutional trust; and enforcing – e.g. establishing regulations and programs, agri-environmental scheme and labeling and information, and encouraging – e.g. providing non-agricultural knowledge services such as financial incentives key means for encouraging sustainable agriculture development in Iran.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the environmental impact assessment methods that has been d... more Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is one of the environmental impact assessment methods that has been developed on the basis of the production process. In the life cycle assessment, the imposed effects resulting from the production of a product, process or an activity have been investigated by identifying and quantifying energy, materials used and emissions into the environment. In this study, the environmental impacts of cradle-to-farm-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) for the conventional and organic cultivation methods of strawberry in Kurdistan province of Iran have been estimated. The preliminary data were collected from the farmers of the studied region during the growing season. The resulting impacts consisted of the following: Abiotic Depletion potential, Acidification potential, Eutrophication potential, Global Warming potential, Ozone Depletion potential, Human Toxicity potential, Freshwater and Marine Aquatic Ecotoxicity potential, Terrestrial Ecotoxicity potential, and Photoche...

Knowledge and awareness are basic factors in changing attitude and behavior to interact friendly ... more Knowledge and awareness are basic factors in changing attitude and behavior to interact friendly with environment. Therefore, the improvement of environment, calls for public awareness about the role of environment in human beings' life. In this regard, to promote environmental friendly and responsible behavior by businessmen, this study conducted to assess the level of knowledge of businessmen at region 12 in Tehran. Respondents were 384 tradespeople that fulfill a questionnaire as research tool. Results revealed that tradespeople recognize only the usual areas around themselves as environment and put aside the other environmental components such as industrial and manufactured products, other humans and organisms. They also did not know anything about participatory waste management. They maintain that the traffic jam, and noise pollution are the most environmental problems at bazaar area and the best way to promote environmental knowledge are public media like TV, Radio, press and so on.

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 2021

The COVID-19 crisis has revealed weaknesses and placed great stress on the agri-food system in th... more The COVID-19 crisis has revealed weaknesses and placed great stress on the agri-food system in the U.S. Many believe that it could be a catalyst event that leads to structural changes to improve the food system’s resilience. We use a sample of 220 articles published in prominent national newspapers and agricultural trade journals from March to May 2020 to explore the extent to which farmer responses to COVID-19 covered in the media represent examples of resistant, adaptive, or transformative strategies. The pandemic disrupted the U.S. food system and impacted farmers by reducing access to markets, lowering commodity prices, restricting access to farmworker labor, and shifting consumer demand. Media coverage of farmer responses to these stressors were coded into three alternative pathways: (i) reactive or buffering responses, (ii) adaptive responses; and (iii) transformative responses. Most news media coverage focused on the pandemic’s disruptive impacts on the U.S. food system, rela...

Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 2018

Abstract Potato is a staple food crop and the most important agricultural commodity, which critic... more Abstract Potato is a staple food crop and the most important agricultural commodity, which critically affects food security and economic stability in Hamadan Province, Iran. Ex-ante sustainability appraisal of new cropping systems and their comparisons with conventional systems can increase the efficiencies of innovations and changes within the production process. This study aimed to explore the sustainability levels of potato cropping systems in Hamadan Province, Iran. To this end, DEXi methodology was developed for the sustainability assessment of the cropping systems. For assessing the three dimensions of environmental, economic, and social sustainability in the four systems of traditional potato system (TPS), Quasi-industrial potato system (QIPS), industrial potato system (IPS), and government-promoted potato system (GPPS), five groups of features were utilized: (1) irrigation method; (2) seed placement; (3) farm machinery use; (4) agrochemical use; and (5) rotation. The impact assessments of the cropping systems were based on two, three, and two groups of ecological, social, and economic indicators, respectively. Employment, supply chain, protection, operational difficulty, productivity, profitability, input use, and biodiversity resulted in 21 basic indicators and 13 aggregated indicators, by which the cropping systems were described. The results revealed that GPPS with distinctive economic and social profiles could have a better overall sustainability despite the fact that some indicators like biodiversity could be negatively affected. Finally, three strategies were recommended for the sustainability of GPPS as follows: biodiversity enhancement, input substitution, and integrated water management.

Ecological Indicators, 2017

Abstract Although regulations and criteria relating to organic farming are clearly defined by the... more Abstract Although regulations and criteria relating to organic farming are clearly defined by the relevant agencies, especially by IFOAM, some have been overshadowed by attention to others and have lost their significance over time. The aim of this study was to develop and quantify organic farming indicators to determine the relative importance of each. The desired indicators were collected during a literature review of scientific resources about the principles of organic farming. These indices were classified into four categories and their weights were determined through interviews with experts on organic agriculture, including university professors, agroecology students, Ministry of Agriculture experts, organic farming inspectors and organic farmers. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used for this purpose. The results showed that pest and disease management, yield, soil nutrient management, water consumption rate, chemical fertilizer consumption rate and the use of transgenic materials having weights of 0.16, 0.098, 0.096, 0.08, 0.071 and 0.059, respectively, and are the most important indicators for development and assessment of organic farming. In this as well as similar studies, the weight of indicators associated with consumption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides were relatively high. This indicates the importance of rules related to the use of chemicals in organic farming; however, each index has a certain weight and none can be overlooked. All indicators should be considered as an inseparable set and all should be used in the development of organic farming. The results of this study can be useful for both inspection bodies and organic farmers. Farmers can reduce the risks associated with transitioning to organic farming and minimize the probability of failure by monitoring these indicators in their fields.

International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 2017

ABSTRACT Identifying and understanding the heterogeneity of the motivations and problems of farme... more ABSTRACT 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.

Energy, Ecology and Environment, 2017

This study explores gender in the energy inputoutput analysis by comparing the energy indicators ... more This study explores gender in the energy inputoutput analysis by comparing the energy indicators in paddy production in female-headed farms and male-headed farms during years of 2014-2015 in Mazandaran Province. Questionnaires were used to collect data from 120 paddy farmers (60 males and 60 females). Energy indicators were calculated for female-and male-headed farms. Results revealed noticeable variations in some important energy indicators between female-and male-headed farms. A significant difference was observed in terms of total energy input. The majority of energy input consumption for both female-and male-headed farms was devoted to diesel fuel, fertilizers, especially nitrogen fertilizers, and machinery. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between male-headed and female-headed farms in terms of net energy and specific energy, but energy use efficiency and energy productivity were significantly higher for female-headed farms. Then, it can be argued that gender factor had a significant impact on amount of direct, indirect, and renewable energy inputs. Based on our findings, female-headed rice systems were more efficient, where fossil-based inputs were used more environment friendly than male-headed farms. Finally, targeted ''soft'' policies like gender-sensitive capacity-developing program were proposed.

Certified that seminar work entitled "Smart Materials Concepts & Applications" is a bonafide work... more Certified that seminar work entitled "Smart Materials Concepts & Applications" is a bonafide work carried out in the seventh semester by "SAMSON T.

Ecological Indicators, 2016

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the strategies and ethics of sustainability in agr... more Abstract This study was conducted to determine the strategies and ethics of sustainability in agriculture and food systems in Iran. To represent the points of view of 57 agricultural stockholders, including an ago-ecologist specialist, agricultural extension and development experts, farmers, and the Iranian Scientific Society of Agroecology (ISSA) members, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was employed. A hierarchical network was developed at two levels for selection from among the three ethical approaches, which were developed based on the general tenets of utilitarian, rights, and virtue models. The findings indicated that criteria, i.e. resilience of agricultural systems, supportive policies and self-reliance, and equity, are the most important criteria for sustainable agriculture (SA) in Iran. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the critical factors affecting the priority of alternatives. The results indicated that virtue, rights, and utilitarian models have successive levels of priority as the theoretical base of sustainable agricultural development in Iran. Finally, we outline two strategies for developing a macroethics approach: informational strategies to consider the priorities of virtue model, and structural strategies to highlight the reinforcing nature of right model and utilitarian model.

Homegardens are an important consideration in terms of biodiversity and yet their significance is... more Homegardens are an important consideration in terms of biodiversity and yet their significance is often unrecognized. This study compared home gardens in two different ecologies to evaluate crop species diversity. Evaluations were made by questionnaires and inspections of home gardens in two different ecological areas; the mountainous Khamin protected area and the Bavi hilly-plain area. Results showed unsatisfactory species diversity in home gardens: from a total of 192 observed home gardens, the highest mean species richness (12.84) was in a village on the hilly - plains ecological area and the least (1.71) was in a village in the mountainous Khamin area. Villages in the mountainous ecology were less developed. None of the three predefined categories (divisions) demonstrated any specific trend, in the division of vegetable and summer crops and there was little difference between the villages. However in the division of fruit trees and shrubs, villages in the hilly-plain ecology sho...

Students are the agriculturist of tomorrow; therefore policies aimed at developing sustainable ag... more Students are the agriculturist of tomorrow; therefore policies aimed at developing sustainable agriculture should address the needs of this group. To discover their attitudes towards sustainable agriculture, a survey among 100 agricultural students was conducted. Questionnaire was used to examine student attitudes regarding sustainable agriculture. Finding is shown that students' attitudes towards sustainable agriculture are positive, especially in cognitive aspect. In conclusion, to enhance student attitudes towards sustainable behavior in agriculture context, it is important that curriculum develops for familiar student with sustainable agriculture practices and concepts such as: integrated pest management, low-input agriculture, rotational grazing, ecological agriculture, waste management, organic farming and alternative agriculture as to meet the needs of students preparing to enter the work force of the 21st century food and fiber system.

Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 2012

The main purpose of the study was to determine the factors affecting the adoption of integrated p... more The main purpose of the study was to determine the factors affecting the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) as a clean technology in the rice-cropping systems of Iran. The research framework was developed based on the rational choice model and the factors influencing IPM adoption behaviour were explored. A survey with a sample of 148 operators selected by stratified

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2015

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess the life cycle of rainbow trout under three culturin... more ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to assess the life cycle of rainbow trout under three culturing systems including flow-through, recirculating and semi-closed recirculating systems in Iran. The life cycle assessment (LCA) method was found to be suited very well for this purpose. LCA method was used to quantify and compare the potential environmental impacts of culturing rainbow trout in the above three aquaculture systems. Differences were found between the above three systems in terms of water dependence, land competition, feed production processes and energy use. Feed production was found to be the major contributor to the potential impacts such as climate change and acidification in all of the above three systems due to variable feed conversion ratios (FCR, 1.15, 1.47 and 1.57) in flow-through, recirculating and semi-closed recirculating systems, respectively. The obtained results indicate that the semi-closed recirculating system was less efficient than the flow-through system, with a higher level of potential eutrophication (49% greater), abiotic depletion (80% greater) and global warming (82% greater). The recirculating system required about 10 time more material and energy demands compared to the flowthrough system. Water dependence in the flow-through system was calculated to be 27 and 3.7 times more than for the recirculating and semi-closed recirculating systems, respectively for the same quantity of biomass production. The major contribution to the land use was feed ingredient production (up to 95%) for the semi-closed recirculating and recirculatingsystem. On the other hand, the land use in the flowthrough system on farm rainbow trout production andfeed ingredient production were calculated about 11 and 89%, respectively. Therefore, many options exist for improving the environmental performance of these aquaculture systems. The most important measure is to increase the feed and energy efficiency through improvements in rearing modes and the optimisation of feeding practices. It is recommended that excluded impacts such as biodiversity and socio-economic impacts be carefully considered in further sustainability assessments of recirculating and semi-closed recirculating systems and in continuing efforts to improve and develop these technologies on a larger scale.