نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Agricultural services play a vital role in rural development and improving farmers' livelihoods, particularly in arid and underserved areas. However, access to these services is often characterized by spatial inequalities. This study aimed to assess spatial inequality in farmers' access to five categories of agricultural services, including social services, technical and infrastructure services, agricultural extension and training, agricultural input supply, and financial, credit, and marketing services across the villages of Nehbandan County, Iran. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical survey design. The statistical population consisted of household heads living in villages with more than 50 households. A total of 360 respondents were selected using Cochran's formula and stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a researcher-developed questionnaire using a five-point Likert-scale. The validity and reliability of the instrument were confirmed through factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and composite reliability. The results showed that the mean scores of all service dimensions, except social services, were below the midpoint of the Likert scale (3). The Friedman test revealed significant differences among the five service dimensions, with social services (mean rank = 4.12) ranking highest and technical and infrastructure services (mean rank = 1.87) ranking lowest. One-way ANOVA also indicated significant differences among villages across all service dimensions. Arviz, Mighan, and Dehno had the highest levels of access, whereas Tareq, Chah-Deraz, and Khajeh-Dochahi had the lowest. These findings highlight the need for spatially just agricultural policies and resource allocation based on farmers' actual needs to reduce inequalities in service access and promote sustainable rural development.
کلیدواژهها English