Representation of Farmers’ Professional Identities in Shushtar District, Iran: A Study Based on Q-Methodology

Abstract

New policies for agricultural transition can only be effective if the policy is understood and adopted at the farm level. In countries such as Iran cultural factors embodied in identity can provide major obstacles to change because traditional and religious beliefs are important in everyday decision-making. Consequently the need to understand identity as a key factor is important in an Iranian context. selfbeliefs about being a particular type of person, the roles that such a person should play and commitment to that particular identity play an important role in determining farmers’ behavioral choice – particularly when ‘new’ behaviours challenge existing beliefs about “good farming” as in the case of regime change. Understanding these ‘identities’ and the roles associated with them can help us both address the issue of heterogeneity within the farming communities and identify which behaviours are culturally important and therefore may require specific consideration in policy formulation to promote transition. To address this, the aim of this study is to employ q-methodology as a means of generating a typology of farmers with specific identities. This study will be based on existing data gathered in a study of farmers in Khuzestan province, in southern Iran. Based on the review of the agricultural literature, interviews with farmers and interviews with agricultural specialists, the study constructed a concourse with 120 statements. Then, based on ranking by experts, we selected 43 q-samples from this expert ranking. Fifty farmers were selected through purposeful sampling (good farmers introduced by local agricultural officers) as a P-set, completed the Q-sort procedure. Data analysis identified a number of heterogeneous farmer groups based on their identity.