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Climate change (CC) is one of the major challenges of our time that impacts rangelands regionally and globally. The rising vulnerability among pastoralists highlights the need to prioritize resilience thinking. Pastoralists' resilience refers to the ability of rangeland businesses to endure, adapt to, and remain flexible in the face of threats or challenges. This research was conducted with the primary goal of analyzing the factors that influence resilience from the perspective of pastoralists in Tehran province under CC conditions. This research was both goal-oriented and exploratory in methodology. The study sample consisted of 317 pastoralists selected through stratified random sampling. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. Software SmartPLS was used for data analysis. The validity of the questionnaire was assessed using the average variance extracted, while its reliability was established by calculating composite reliability and Cronbach's alpha. Data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique with Smart PLS software. The structural equation modeling indicated that economic, institutional, ecological, physical, social, educational and extensional and individual factors had the greatest impact on Pastoralists' Resilience under Climate Change (PRCC) conditions. These factors explained 75.5% of the PRCC conditions.
 

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In recent years, rural marketing has gained significant importance as a driver of economic growth. However, one of the main problems in the production cycle in rural areas is inefficient marketing. Today, the quantitative and qualitative improvement in rural marketing requires accurate and up to date information. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide this information. So, survey applications of ICTs are very important in rural marketing mix. A questionnaire survey was conducted on members of rural cooperatives in Garmsar, Iran. Descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling were used to analyze the data using SPSS₂₀ and AMOS₂₀ software, respectively. The descriptive results showed that the rural marketing mix is undesirable. In addition, ICT capabilities have much role in boosting the rural marketing mix. The order of the effects of ICT capabilities on components of this mix are as follows: diffusion capabilities on the promotion (68%), and on the price (31%), location capabilities on the place (54%), and efficiency capabilities on the product (0.33%) and on the price (28%). Moreover, on the basis of the findings from the structural equation modelling, among the four ICT capabilities i.e. diffusion, location, efficiency, and financial, the impact of the financial capabilities of ICT on the price were more than that of the other capabilities (%0.77).
 

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In this study, a gender analysis of various dimensions that affect the food security status of households in the villages of Kermanshah County was conducted based on a sustainable livelihood framework. The non-experimental research method involved data collection, which was performed to identify causal relationships. There were 25,671 households in the agricultural sector of the villages of Kermanshah County. Among them, 750 people (375 women and 375 men in 375 households) were selected as a proportional sample based on a stratified sampling method. A questionnaire was used for data collection. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by expert opinions, and its reliability was confirmed by sequential theta coefficients (0.714-0.838). Structural equation modeling was implemented based on the Multiple-Indicator, Multiple-Cause (MIMIC) Bayesian approach. Then, the structural MIMIC model was presented as the basis for comparison between two groups. The results of the research indicate that men had greater food security than women in terms of food availability, accessibility, and stability in the studied households. Men had more financial capital, social capital, and natural capital than women and were more affected by vulnerability and the transformation of structures and processes. Conversely, women had more human and physical capital and better livelihood strategies than men. Therefore, the economic empowerment of women and the professional training of men in the region should be prioritized to improve food security and development programs. These results can play a decisive role in the continuation or halting of programs for achieving food security and sustainable development.
 

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Grape is the key product of Qazvin Province and a vast amount of it is annually lost during supply chain due to various causes. This study, therefore, aimed at examining the effective and significant causes of grape losses in supply chain in Qazvin. First, to identify the main causes of the grape losses and to develop the research framework, data was gathered through some qualitative methods. Twenty-three grape growers, researchers, and experts were interviewed by research team as the key informants. Meanwhile, grounded theory techniques were employed for data analysis simultaneous with data collection processes to develop the final theory and model. In second part, the study's hypotheses and research model were formed based upon the developed theory. Then, to examine the research model, Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling and Important-Performance Matrix Analysis techniques were used. The population involved/affected in this part was grape growers from five districts of Qazvin Province. The sample consisted of 380 grape growers who were selected through stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was utilized for data collection and data was analyzed with the Smart-PLS 3.0. Main findings show that “management practices and resource and equipment” had significant effect on the grape losses. In accordance with Important Performance Matrix Analysis (IPMA), “extension and advisory services and management practices” are of paramount prominence. Moreover, in indicators level, providing on-farm participatory training, intelligible educational programs in local media, and financial resources, had the utmost importance in mitigating grape losses.
 

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In this study, we aimed to use the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to explain farmers’ pro-environmental behavior, and we subsequently applied our conceptualization of the PTM to explain the effects of pro-environmental behavior as well as some alternatives to achieve a sustainable livelihood in the Borkhar Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. The population of this study comprised rural smallholder farmers who produced agricultural and horticultural crops under drought in 2017-2019. The study sample consisted of 293 smallholder farmers selected through stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was utilized for data collection, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that self-efficacy, perceived vulnerability, and response efficacy have a positive relationship with farmers’ pro-environmental behavior. In addition, the perceived severity and response costs are negatively related to farmers’ pro-environmental behavior. The findings further show that alternative crops and alternative income sources are the main predictors of achieving a sustainable alternative livelihood. Moreover, saffron cultivation and rural handicrafts were found to be highly important indicators that enhance sustainable alternative livelihood under drought. Therefore, concentrating efforts and shifting the focus to these alternatives leads to increased farmers’ livelihood resilience in the long run.

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In recent years, nanotechnology has been increasingly used in the food industry, especially to increase the food security. Nanotechnology provides the grounds to understand the food components on a small scale in the food industry. The present study aimed at analyzing the application of nanotechnology to improve the food security. The study sample included all experts (N= 90) of Iran's Nanotechnology Innovation Council selected by a census. This study used a descriptive-survey method. A questionnaire was developed based on the study’s theoretical framework and used for data collection. The validity (content and face) and reliability (factor loading, coefficient of composite reliability, and Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient) of the questionnaire were confirmed. The results of testing the hypotheses using Smart PLS, i.e., t-test and path coefficients (β), showed that the food packaging mechanisms directly and significantly affected food security improvement through using nanotechnology. The findings also displayed that the food preservation, processing, and production mechanisms influenced food security improvement through using nanotechnology. By using nanotechnology, the results indicated a direct relationship between foods' taste and color improvement as well as food safety and health improvement.