Feasibility Study of Low- input Pistachio Production: Case Study of Dasht-e-Rabat Region- Shahr-e-Babak County

During the recent decades, a lot of attention has been paid to approaches such as organic farming as a way to deal with issues and maintain environmental equilibrium in terms of sustainability. However, on the other hand, given the nature of organic farming with emphasis on no use of chemicals in the production process, it is a bit difficult to reach, so one of the recent approaches that has been considered to protect the environment, especially in the field of agriculture, is the production of healthier goods with low usages of external inputs. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of producing low-input pistachio in Dasht-e-Rabat region of Shahr-e-Babak County. Research population included pistachio growers of the supposed region (N=2500) whom about 189 of them were selected as the research sample using Bartlet Table and quotas random sampling technique. Research tool was a questionnaire whose validity was verified using face validity procedure. Moreover, its reliability was also verified calculating Cronbach's Alpha reliability coefficient in a pilot study (from 0.70 to 0.89). Descriptive and also one-sample t-test results showed that out of different necessary factors for low-input pistachio production, economic, legal and social factors are in an unfavorable situation, while technical and attitude factors have favorite conditions. Also, the results of logistic regression showed that the factors such as attitude, technical factors and acquaintance of necessary time to take orchards organic are the main variables affecting the production of organic/ lowinput products. 
Extended Abstract
1-Introduction
A look at the development of different countries shows that one of the most important sectors that influence the development process, is always the agricultural sector. On the other hand, there are many concerns around the world about the effects and consequences of some agricultural activities on the environment and society. The human struggles with the nature which has been intensified after industrial revolution with the advent of chemicals having devastative effects on nature. The use of chemical pesticides and planting of high yielding crops and grasses increased agricultural production, but this increasing trend was associated with environmental problems. The emergence of these problems has caused the world's people to move in with a global approach to organic or at least low input agriculture. The organic farming system is a comprehensive production management system, whose implementation involves the results such as product health, biodiversity, life cycle preservation and biological soil management. Generally, the purpose of organic farming is to increase the productivity of crop production, while maintaining the soil fertility, increasing the production of the product with the least reliance on the use of chemicals. Garden products in Iran are of special importance because most of the agricultural exports in Iran belong to them. Pistachio is one of the most important export products of the agricultural sector in Iran, which annually, despite the fact that the area under cultivation of pistachio gardens in the country was 450 thousand hectares and the production of these gardens was about 187 thousand tons dry pistachios, but only a very small percentage of these products are produced without using fertilizers and poisons, or organically with minimal use of pesticides and chemicals. Therefore, considering the problems facing pistachio production of Iran, including environmental pollution and human health, in one hand, and market demands on the other hand, the production of organic or at least, low-input pistachios has its own importance. Thus, the aim of this study was to study the feasibility of low input pistachio production in Dasht-e-Rabat region of Shahr-e-BabakCounty.
2- Material and Methods
This study was an applied research based on goal and quantitative in terms of approach and survey in collecting data. Research population of the study consisted of pistachio producers in Dasht-e-Rabat area of Shahr-e-Babakthat about 189 ones of them were selected as the research sample using statistical sampling tables. Since the area of Dasht-e-Rabat consists of two villages of Rabat and Mansel Abad, the sample was distributed in proportion to their populations. Thus, the sampling technique was quota random sampling. The required data in this study were compiled using a six-part questionnaire (contextual, economic, legal-institutional, technical, social, and attitudinal) based on the five-part Likert scale. Face validity of the questionnaire was verified by related specialists. Also, the reliability of the supposed questionnaire was verified calculating Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient in a pilot study. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. Data analysis techniques were descriptive (i.e. coefficient of variations, mean score and standard deviation) and also inferential including one sample t-test and logistic regression.
3-Results and Discussion
The findings of descriptive analysis of the factors affecting the possibility of low input pistachio production and one-sample t-test showed that among factors (contextual, economic, legal-institutional, technical, social and attitudinal) affecting the possibility of low-input pistachio production, the average status of the contextual, economic, legal-institutional and social factors were lower than the desired situation, but the technical factors and attitudes were in a favorable situations. On the other hand, the results of the logistic regression analysis showed that the attitudinal factors, technical factors and knowledge about the time required to minimize inputs, were as important factors in predicting the production of low input pistachios.
4-Conclusion
Generally, the research results indicate that the factors affecting the possibility of low input production in Robat district of Share Babak region are lower than their optimal level. Therefore, it can be concluded that low-input pistachio production is not feasible at this time, but it is expected that by adopting appropriate policies and programs, a better situation will be established in future.