Foresight of Agricultural Product Transportation Development in West Azerbaijan Province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Rural Extension and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

2 bjk

3 Associate Professor, Department of Rural Extension and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.

10.22034/gp.2025.68360.3434

Abstract

Objective: This research, aimed at developing a structural method and elucidating the fundamental principles in key drivers, has conducted a future-oriented study of the challenges in agricultural product transportation in West Azerbaijan Province. Rural settlements are inherently dynamic and evolving, and the development of transportation as a key infrastructure plays a vital role in this dynamism.

West Azerbaijan Province, relying on the agricultural sector, requires the strengthening of transportation infrastructure to develop international trade.

Methods: The research methodology is quantitative and applied, with data collected through questionnaires and library resources.The research approach is descriptive-analytical, employing future studies techniques and structural analyses, particularly the MICMAC method, to examine the relationships between variables.

To gather information, 30 managers, experts, and professors were utilized, and cross-impact matrices were developed to analyze correlations.

Results: The findings revealed that key factors in improving agricultural product transportation include rural infrastructure, transportation costs, safety, scheduling, and innovative technologies.

A cross-impact matrix with dimensions of 43×43 and a fill rate of 92.8% indicates a high degree of interaction among these factors.Out of 1716 possible relationships, 133 had zero impact, 779 had weak impact, 759 had medium impact, and 178 had strong impact.Conclusions: The results indicated that investment in infrastructure, effective communication between production and consumption regions, utilization of innovative technologies, reduction of fuel costs, and improvement of road quality are key drivers in optimizing agricultural product transportation

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