Factors Influencing Yield and Quality of Saffron Production: A Comparative Study on the Members and Non-members of Rural Production Cooperatives in Iran

Iran is the major producer of saffron with an exclusive share of more than 65 % of the total world saffron production. Saffron is of the most economical importance in Iran’s agriculture, because of the creation of employment opportunities and the generation of incomes, particularly in Khorasan Province. However, yield and quality of the produced saffron is not still so desirable, because saffron growers (SGs) do not use appropriate principles and methods in different steps of saffron production. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence yield and quality of saffron production with an approach to compare two groups of members and non-members of rural production cooperative (RPC). This was a descriptive-correlation and causal-comparative study of the survey type. The population in the study consisted of 14,880 SGs in the city Torbat-e-Heydarieh, Khorasan-e-Razavi Province. Through stratified random sampling, a group of 375 SGs was selected as the sample out of the above-mentioned population. A questionnaire was prepared to gather the data needed for this study. The instrument was examined for its content and face validity by faculty members and graduate students at Tarbiat Modarres University and specialists’ board of Jihad-e-Agriculture Organization in Khorasan-e-Razavi Province. Questionnaire reliability for the various sections of the instrument was estimated between 0.78 and 0.86. The result of the logistic regression indicated that marketing status, access to agricultural inputs, social participation, agricultural extension activities, technical knowledge, practical skills, and agricultural credit facilities entered into the logarithmic equation, respectively. These were the most important factors distinguishing two groups, so that they could correctly distinct 87 % of population.

Keywords:

agricultural extension , saffron-grower , cooperative , yield