Assessment The Agricultural Student's Attitudes Towards Organic Farming (Case of Iran)

Summary

A surveying research was conducted to study and recognize the knowledge and attitude of students toward organic farming at three universities of Iran in 2010. Our consumption patterns and environmental behaviors are rooted in long lived practices and habits. Social norms and values are among the factors that determine what we buy or what we think about organic products. As they are largely unconscious it is difficult to change them. Students are the agriculturist of tomorrow; therefore policies aimed at developing organic farming should address the needs of this group. To discover agriculturist's knowledge organic farming, a survey among 100 agricultural students was conducted. Questionnaire was used to examine students’ knowledge regarding organic farming. Finding is shown that agriculturist's awareness towards organic farming are low, especially in Pests management and Organic product standards aspect. The result of factor analysis showed that nine factors named as concepts, Nutrient safety and security, Organic farming economic, Organic farming extension, Social issue, fertility, Pests management, Environment safety, Organic product standard explained 73.71% of total variance that the first factor accounts for 11.98% of the variance, the second 10.954%, the third 9.191%, the fourth 8.505%, the fifth 8.426%, the sixth 7.536%, the seventh 7.015%, the eighth 5.746% and the ninth 4.364%. In conclusion, to enhance student knowledge about organic farming, it is important that curriculum develops for familiar student with organic farming practices and concepts such as: ecological equilibrium, agro ecosystem sustainability, new technology and indigenous knowledge, nutrition value, human safety, favorite yield production, soil structure improvement, erosion reduces and etc.