Effective Factors on Application of Sustainable Agricultural Practices by Paddy Farmers (Case of Rural Production Cooperatives Members)

One of the central duties of rural production cooperatives is to promote the adoption and application of sustainable agricultural practices by farmers, which hinges on several factors. Therefore, the study intends to evaluate the factors influencing the application of sustainable agricultural practices by paddy farmers. The research population included from all includes all  paddy farmers as members of the production cooperatives in rural areas of Sari County, Iran (N=4160). A total of 162 farmers were selected through stratified sampling technique. The data was gathered through questionnaires, that its face validity was verified by a panel of experts, and its reliability was obtained through a pilot test (Alpha Cronbach coefficient, 0.93). The results showed that the application of sustainable agricultural practices was generally good. Moreover, the findings showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between the age, using information sources, family members, cultivating area, production amount, social status, access to inputs, participating in extension training courses and economic factors with the application of sustainable agricultural practices. The stepwise linear regression analysis results showed that the variables of cultivating area/hectare, economic facilities, participating in extension training courses and age can determine 61.8% variation of the application of sustainable agricultural practices by paddy farmers as members of rural production cooperatives.