factors effecting sustainability of agriculture practices in jiroft county (case study: onion, potato and tomato)

abstract in recent decades, more consumption of agricultural inputs led to growth in agricultural products in the world. however, problems occurred due to the lack of attention to environmental issues and risks of excessive consumption of chemicals on human health become a concern for people and policy makers. to solve the problem, sustainable agriculture has been considering by authorities. this study aimed at assessing the level of sustainability in some agricultural products. identification of factors that influence sustainability in the study products was another aim of this study. the study was conducted in 2008-2009. the township of jiroft was selected for this study, due to economic importance of agriculture in this region. the study concentrated on three products of tomato, potato and onion that play important role in the food security of the region. the statistical population of the study included all onions, potatoes and tomatoes growers (n=1320). using the cochran's formula, sample size was measured at 197 persons. using the stratified random sampling method, the study interviewees were selected. the reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated by cronbach's alpha's coefficient at 0.75. content validity was defined using a panel of expert. according to the results, levels of sustainability for 53.2 percent of the study samples were lower than their average level, while 47.2 percent had higher levels. results of regression model presented that the variables of educational level, knowledge of sustainable agriculture, the number of family labor force, growers’ participation in social activities, the system of private property and livestock- cultivation system have a significant positive impact on the sustainability. the only variable of the rate of cultivation presented a negative impact on the agricultural sustainability. the study recommends holding appropriate extension classes accordance to the level of growers ‘education.