Exploring the Solutions for Overcoming Challenges Facing Peasant Farming System in Iran

Abstract

Vast majority of Iranian farmers are still peasants who farm small plots of land, usually in marginal environments, utilizing traditional and subsistence methods. Despite of these characteristics, peasant-farming system has vital role in Iranian agriculture sector. Solutions therefore must be found for empowering peasants to deal with such problems. The main purpose of this study was to identify solutions to deal with challenges facing peasant farming system in Iran. Seventy one extension experts at headquarter level of Ministry of Agriculture were selected using random sampling technique. Principal component analysis was applied as main statistical technique to analyze the data. The findings revealed that five factors /components containing 38 variables determined about 63 percent of variations in solutions to deal with challenges facing peasant farming system: extension solutions (19.03 % of variance), economic solutions (16.60% of variance), social solutions (10.234% of variance), political solutions (9.75% of variance) and managerial solutions (7.69% of variance).