Socioeconomic Determinants of Sustainability of Agricultural Production in Rural Areas: A Case Study in Golestan Province

Purpose: Sustainability of agricultural production systems is an important issue, particularly in countries which heavily rely on this economic sector. Different methods have been proposed to assess sustainability of such systems from various viewpoints. Nonetheless, limited attention has been paid to find key factors in agricultural sustainability. While researchers often recognize ecological factors as the main element affecting sustainability, other factors play an important role in the sustainability of a farming system, too. This study proposes a method to analyze the determinants of sustainable crop production, and applies it to wheat cultivation in Golestan Province, Iran. Methods: We used a survey instrument to gather data from 234 farmers in this area. To measure sustainability of wheat cropping systems as the dependent variable, a composite index was established based on 13 individual related indicators using principal component analysis method. Results: The results of path analysis revealed that “technical knowledge” (with path coefficient of 0.806) has the highest impact on sustainability. Other variables of “technology usage” (0.165), “farm income” (0.020), “accessibility on agricultural extension and education services” (0.561), “accessibility on agricultural supportive services” (0.021), “satisfaction of farming job” (0.321), and “social participation in rural affairs” (0.047) positively and “land fragmentation” (-0.313) negatively influenced the sustainability of wheat cropping system. Conclusion: Recommendations are provided for future policy makings to improve sustainability processes in farming systems.