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Rural handwoven carpet weavers, particularly in the context of handmade silk carpet production, grapple with significant challenges concerning recognizing all stakeholders and establishing timely connections. These challenges have a substantial impact on the adoption of innovation in carpet production and the overall enhancement of productivity. This research was conducted to scrutinize the communication network of carpet weavers within the Knowledge and Innovation System (KIS) of handmade silk carpet production in rural areas. Data were gathered through interviews with 270 rural households in Zanjan province, specifically in the Tarom, Khodabandeh, and Zanjan counties, utilizing a structured questionnaire. Social Network Analysis (SNA) in UCINET was employed to examine the interactions among these actors, and graphical representations were created using Net Draw. The results revealed that the network's density varied across different levels, showing weakness in some cases, moderate strength in others, and strong connections in select instances. The connections of carpet weaving families with other actors within the KIS were predominantly localized. Among these families, those utilizing the home-based wage production method exhibited the most extensive interactions. The individuals designated as "FMs" (likely referring to family members) and "WNVKRs" (possibly local experts) demonstrated the highest degree of connection and influence within the network of weavers' interactions
 

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Education and research are fundamental pillars of educational systems, including agricultural higher education institutions. However, an inadequate balance between these components can lead to a deviation from the primary goals of these institutions. This study aimed to conduct a pathological analysis of the equilibrium between education and research in the higher education system of agriculture in Iran. “Three-pronged pathology model” was utilized, comprising components of “context” (including knowledge, moral, individual-psychological, satisfaction, and the thematic nature), “behavior” (including planning, coordination, control, and monitoring), and “structure” (including demonstrative, diversity, consequence, and political). This quantitative study is applied in purpose, non-experimental in design, retrospective in timing, survey-based in data collection, and descriptive-causal comparative in data analysis. The data collection instrument was a researcher-developed questionnaire, with face and content validity confirmed by experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was established using Cronbach's alpha for each variable (0.704 ≤ α ≤ 0.902). The statistical population comprised faculty members from agricultural departments of public universities in Iran (N=3335), with a sample of 307 selected. Results indicated a tendency among faculty members towards research activities. The greatest gap and imbalance between education and research were observed in the areas of context, followed by structure and behavior. This indicates that the existing context and structure push faculty members towards research activities for their sustainability and advancement in the agricultural higher education system. This poses a serious issue that must be addressed by policymakers and decision-makers.
 

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This study examines Iranian agricultural researchers’ attitudes regarding collaboration with extension workers and the variables associated with the researchers’ attitudes. Data were obtained using a questionnaire developed by Agricultural Research Centers of Charmahal and Bakhtiari, Isfahan, Safiabad and Khuzestan in 1998. The findings re-vealed that the researchers’ attitudes towards collaboration with the extension workers were generally positive although actual collaboration between researchers and the exten-sion workers was at a low level. Therefore, it seems that lack of an overall strong relation-ship of attitudes with current behavior as well as weak collaboration is related to other factors that need to be studied more, for example management of participation or internal factors in each sub-system of extension or research etc. identified that The following fac-tors/characteristics of agricultural researchers were identified as having a positive corre-lation/association with their attitude towards collaborating with extension workers: higher research experience, greater interaction with extension workers, a lower scientific position or possessing a higher management position, greater participation in seminars and colloquiums related to extension, and the influence/thinking of colleagues and man-agers.

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Abstract
Many nations with an increasing population face a serious shortage of water and the supply and distribution of water is not proportional to their demand. The construction of dams is one of the main mechanisms undertaken by policy makers for managing the challenge of water scarcity in recent decades, but this strategy can lead to negative social, economic and environmental consequences. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the views of local households regarding the possible consequences of the construction of the Beheshtabad dam on their agricultural and non-agricultural livelihood strategies. This survey was carried out in the origin basin and the area of the dam establishement, the Beheshtakad Watershed located in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province of Iran. A sample of 200 out of 3514 households was selected using a multi stage sampling technique and the data were collected through structured interviews utilizing a questionnaire. From the perspective of the households in local communities, the construction of the Beheshtabad dam would lead to destroying their agricultural and non-agricultural physical assets and increasing their livelihoods' vulnerability, which can cause increased migration, local culture change, turning households into illicit jobs, and the collapse of households due to displacement or forced rural-urban migration. Their view was significantly influenced by households' having agriculture and service occupation, their land area, their number of small or large animals, and household heads' age and education. This research showed that from the view of local rural and urban communities, if the dam is constructed, their physical assets would be damaged and their jobs would be destroyed, though a few new jobs related to industry and service may be created. This implies that policy makers and planning programmers need to reconsider the necessity, possibility and consequences of establishing this dam, before any decision on it.
Keywords: Dam construction, livelihood strategy, local community, water crisis 
 
Introduction
Impact of the BeheshtAbad Dam Construction on the households' Livelihood Strategies of Local Communities
Water as a main natural resource is an essential element of life that have an important role in the vital processes and sustainability of all living organisms, including the sustainable development of human societies. Many nations with an increasing population face a serious shortage of water and the supply and distribution of water is not proportional to their demand. The major causes of global water scarcity in the world, according to Conor (1999), are population growth, economic growth, per capita energy consumption, technical development, land use change, increased environmental degradation, inappropriate government plans, and climate change. The world's population growth and raising the standard of living has led to increased demand and water consumption, while there has been decreased fresh water resources in the world. Water crisis or threat is much more important in nations located in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, including Iran. The construction of dams and inter-basin water transfer have been one of the main mechanisms undertaken by policy makers for managing the challenge of water scarcity in recent decades, but this strategy can lead to negative social, economic and environmental consequences. The interest to establish large dams has been a method for generating more hydroelectric power, water supply and reducing global climate change. One of the most important issues at the time of implementing these projects and after the construction of these dams is the displacement of the settlements located behind the dam reservoir, which lead to forced migration and can have negative consequences, such as poverty and the insecurity of local households’ livelihoods. This is in contrast with the sustainable development goals in developing countries. Livelihoods’ strategy change is considered to be serious in this condition, because most local households have been faced with poverty and unemployment so this infrastructural investment can make their livelihoods much more vulnerable. Mandatory migration can change the production system of the households. Moreover, most businesses, fertilized land and other assets can be destroyed, and the economy of local households can be vulnerable. The Beheshtabad dam is to be constructed in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province to be a reservoir dam for transferring water to three central provinces of Iran. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the views of local households regarding the possible consequences of the construction of the Beheshtabad dam on their agricultural and non-agricultural livelihood strategies.
 
Methodology
This study is a descriptive-correlational applied research based on an exploratory survey methodology. Moreover, some semi-structured interviews were conducted with some experts of the province and key persons of local communities to obtain background information about the region and topic, to improve the content validity of survey instrument. The data were collected through the structured interview technique with households living in local communities under the influence of the construction of the Beheshtabad dam using a questionnaire, established by the research team. This survey was carried out in the Beheshtakad watershed located in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province of Iran. A sample of 200 out of 3514 households was selected using a multi stage sampling technique
 
Results and discussion
The survey showed that the construction of the Beheshtabad dam to transfer water from the source to the destination would directly and indirectly affect local communities located in the source basin.  Local rural and urban households would be the first population, whose livelihoods’ strategies would be damaged. Local communities are directly affected in terms of cultural, historical, social and economic aspects of their livelihoods. The existing local households’ livelihood strategies and physical assets were evaluated to be appropriate for their livelihoods, though in some aspects they have vulnerability. However, local communities perceived that the establishment of this dam as a threat to their livelihoods. They believed that the dam construction would destroy their physical assets, particularly their arable land, rangelands, houses and infrastructures, and livelihood strategies, such as crop production and livestock keeping. The more households’ livelihoods were dependent on natural resources and agriculture, the more they would feel vulnerable to the dam consequences. This showed that the local households had negative view on the dam construction.
Conclusion
From the perspective of the households in local communities, the construction of the Beheshtabad dam would lead to destroying their agricultural and non-agricultural physical assets and increasing their livelihoods' vulnerability, which can cause increased migration, local culture change, turning households into illicit jobs, and the collapse of households due to displacement or forced rural-urban migration. Their view is significantly influenced by households' having agriculture and service occupation, their land area, their number of small or large animals, and household heads' age and education. This research shows that from the local rural and urban communities’ views, if the dam is constructed, their physical assets would be damaged and their jobs would be destroyed, though a few new jobs related to industry and service may be created. This implies that the policy makers and planning programmers need to reconsider the necessity, possibility and consequences of establishing this dam, before any decision on it.