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Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowermentin Sari County, Northern Iran

Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Keywords: Citrus growers, empower-ment, social capital, Sari

Received: 04 April 2015,Accepted: 06 December 2015 The study aimed at investigating the role of social capital in

citrus growers’ empowerment in Sari County. The statisticalpopulation comprised 12 800 citrus growers in Sari County.The stratified random sampling was employed in this study inan attempt to recruit 291 individuals as prospective participants.Data collection tool was a questionnaire. In order to establishits content validity, several copies of the questionnaire weredistributed among professionals and experts, their opinions onthe validity of the questionnaire were polled, and the necessaryadjustments were applied based on their insightful comments.Cronbach's alpha was reported as 0.87 for the questionnaire.SPSS (Ver. 16) was used for data analysis. The average socialcapital level and citrus growers’ empowerment were at a highlevel. The indices of meaning, trust, impact, competence, andself-determination ranked first to fifth among the citrus growers’empowerment in Sari. The awareness, participation, interactions,solidarity, and social trust were prioritized from the first to thefifth among the citrus growers’ social capital in Sari. The re-gression analysis showed that 12.4 percent of the citrus growers’empowerment variance was explained by social capital, andthat social capital played an important role accounting for 35.6percent of citrus growers’ empowerment.

Abstract

International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development (IJAMAD)Available online on: www.ijamad.iaurasht.ac.irISSN: 2159-5852 (Print)ISSN:2159-5860 (Online)

Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran* Corresponding author’s email: Mcharmchian2004@yahoo.com 397

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INTRODUCTIONInstinctively, humans engage and interact with

others to meet their needs and livelihood concernssuch that their relative effects are so distinctivethat their removal makes life impossible. Insuch context, the concept of social capital en-compasses concepts such as trust, cooperation,participation, equity, accountability, commitment,and collaboration among group members andthe community (Nikumaram & Esfahani, 2009).In the past, the material and physical capitalwere greatly emphasized, however, nowadays,along with human, economic, and financialcapital, another concept referred to as socialcapital is gaining in importance. The conceptpinpoints the ties and communications amongmembers of a network as a valuable source,since such communications can lead to objectivefulfillment by creating norms and mutual trust.In other words, social capital facilitates cooperationby providing beds for mutual communicationsand enhancing the social proximity of people(Salehi Amiri, 2009). Compared with otherforms of capital, social capital is intangible andis concealed in the informal relationships betweenindividuals and members (Sadigh Banay, 2008).The empowerment can be improved if socialcapital is strengthened (Keshavarzi et al., 2011).Social capital impact on empowerment can beincreased and strengthened by increasing par-ticipation and fostering trust among communitymembers (Nega et al., 2009). The relationshipbetween social capital and empowermentwas first reported by the World Bank. TheWorld Bank introduced social capital as oneof the pillars of the empowerment process(World Bank, 2001).

Being referred to as a resource, the concept ofsocial capital may be used by individuals, groups,and communities as a means to achieve the de-sired goals; accordingly, social capital is thesocial relations heritage which encourages col-lective action (Ghaiumi et al., 2014). Empow-erment means developing people’s skills andabilities, preparing them to make their mainchoices in life. There are two core elements ofempowerment: one with a focus on empower-ment methods and the other with a focus on hu-

man interaction in their life choices. Consideringthe second aspect, social capital empowers ruralpeople by increasing their income through mem-bers’ activities in local groups, controlling theincome, and developing the economic and socialactivities (Aazami et al., 2012). What followsis a brief research review on social capital andempowerment.

Ghashghaeizadeh et al. (2014) concluded thatthere was a significant positive relationship betweensocial capital and its dimensions with psychologicalempowerment. The regression analysis resultsshowed that the best predictors of psychologicalempowerment were social capital.

In study on social capital status among fe-male-headed households, Rostami et al. (2014)concluded that the social capital componentsfor rural women leading the family includedsocial solidarity, social participation, social se-curity, social trust, social and cultural values,and social relations. The social solidarity andparticipation levels among rural women incharge of their household were at a desirablelevel, which were important for economic andsocial empowerment.

Fewer et al. (2013) considered social capitalas one of the key factors in young girls’ economicempowerment. The researchers viewed socialcapital as comprising social networks, friends,coaches, and family members.

Kazemi et al. (2013) concluded that the com-ponents of social capital are represented bysocial solidarity, social awareness, social par-ticipation, social trust, life satisfaction, and in-formation effectiveness and exchange outsidesocial systems.

Aazami et al. (2012) concluded that there wasa positive relationship between social capitaland economic empowerment of rural womenand that 42 percent of the empowerment variancewas explained by social capital components.

In their article titled The Analysis of the Impactof Social Capital Components on OrganizationalEntrepreneurship among the Agricultural JihadOrganization Staffs in Dareshahr”, MovaahedMohammadi et al. (2012) reported that the cor-relation analysis showed a significant positiverelationship between social capital components

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and organizational entrepreneurship. Furthermore,the results of multiple regression showed thatabout 50 percent of the variance in the dependentvariable was accounted for by "collective iden-tity", "networks and shared norms", and "socialsolidarity".

Mirakzade et al. (2012) showed a significantpositive relationship existed between all com-ponents of social capital and organizationallearning. The regression analysis showed thatthe components of social capital that influencedorganizational learning were collective identity,collective solidarity, mutual cooperation, trust,networks and shared norms, voluntary coopera-tion, and participation. Moreover, the componentsof empathy, understanding, and mutual respecthad no impact on organizational learning. Overall,the components of social capital explained 62.5percent of the variance of organizational learningamong Agriculture Jihad Organization staff.

In a study on social capital among the farmersof Iran, Sadati et al. (2012) prioritized socialcapital components such as the exchange of in-formation among farmers, a sense of security inthe village, the value of working in voluntarycommunities in the village, the value of helpingother farmers, and trusting the group membershipsand participation in rural programs from thefirst to sixth. The results showed that socialcapital was in a considerably lower priority forthe majority of farmers.

Keshavarzi et al. (2011) considered socialcapital to have three structural, relational andcognitive dimensions, and psychological em-powerment to have the components of compe-tency, meaning, impact, self-determination, andtrust. The results of this study showed a rela-tionship between social capital and employees’psychological empowerment.

Turabi et al. (2011) showed that respondents’social participation, social solidarity, social aware-ness, education, and age had an impact on coop-eratives performance. Among these variables,social participation and social trust had thegreatest impact on cooperative performance.

Nikumaram and Esfahani (2009) studied socialcapital and the reproduction in human manage-ment, and introduced the key components and

indicators of social capital as trust and coopera-tion, partnerships, justice establishment, respon-sibility, commitment and accountability, meri-tocracy, efficiency, and honesty.

Widiarta et al. (2009) in their article titled‘Peasant Empowerment through Social CapitalReinforcement: Road to Sustainable OrganicAgriculture Development’ concluded that thefarmers’ empowerment by strengthening socialcapital (trust, network and norms establishment)is the best way for the development of sustainableorganic agriculture.

Samad (2007) found that the concept of em-powerment is associated with social background.

According to him, paying special attention tocitrus growers’ social capital aspects can playan important role in their empowerment. Spec-ifying levels of social capital and citrus growers’empowerment in Sari and the relationship be-tween social capital and empowerment seem tobe an innovation. In addition, the results can beused by official organizations such as agriculturalJihad.

The main objective of this study was to inves-tigate the impact of social capital on the em-powerment of citrus growers in Sari County. Aspart of the overall objective of this study, firstthe theoretical framework associated with socialcapital and empowerment was investigated.Next, social capital level among citrus growersand the citrus growers’ empowerment in SariCounty were investigated. Finally, the relationshipbetween social capital and empowerment amongcitrus growers in Sari was considered.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA combination of quantitative and descrip-

tive-inferential methods was adopted as the re-search methodology. The population of the studyconsisted of all citrus growers in Sari Countysumming up to 12 800 people based on theAgriculture Jihad Organization of MazandaranProvince records. Table 1 shows the number ofthe citrus growers according to the servicecenters statistics (Agriculture Jihad Organizationof Mazandaran, 2014). The sample size wascalculated using the Cochran formula (n=291).The stratified random sampling with proportional

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allocation formula for each agricultural servicecenter was used in this study.

In order to establish the questionnaire contentvalidity, several copies of the questionnairewere distributed among professionals and experts,their opinions were polled as to the validity ofthe questionnaire, and the necessary adjustmentswere applied. To estimate the reliability coefficient

of the research instrument, a pilot study wasconducted, and 30 questionnaires were randomlydistributed among citrus growers in Ghaemshahrwhich were then completed. The Cronbach'salpha was reported as 0.87. SPSS (Ver. 16) wasused for data analysis.

In this study, social capital was assessed basedon the social trust, social solidarity, social par-

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Table 1The Number of Citrus Growers in Sari Based on the Service CentersRecord and Sample Size

Region Statistical population Sample size

HularPanbezar KotiSemeskandehAboksarTotal

1327449428464133

12800

301026594

291

Variables Frequency Valid percent

Cumulativercent M1 SD2 Minimum Maximum

Age (Year)30 and Less than 30 31-4041-5051-60More than 60 Non-responseTotalWork experience (Year)10 and Less than 10 11-2021-3031-40More than 40Non-responseTotalFamily size (People)2 and Less than 23-45-6More than 6Non-responseTotalLiteracy levelIlliterateAbility to read and writeJunior high schoolHigh schoolDiplomaAssociated degree and higherNon-response Total

143882913432

291

2273

107361835

291

131301081327291

48383845651839291

5.414.731.735.113.1

-100

8.628.541.814.1

7-

100

549.340.84.9-

100

1915.115.117.925.87.1-

100

5.420.151.886.9100

8.637.178.993

100

554.395.1100

1934.149.267.192.9100

49.4

25.58

4.42

3.38

10.14

10.38

1.26

1.62

25

5

1

1

74

52

9

6

Table 2Citrus Growers’ Age, Gardening Work Experience, Family Size, and Literacy Level Frequency Distributionin Sari

1-Mean 2- Standard Deviation

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ticipation, social interactions, and social aware-ness. In order to explain empowerment, differentindexes of self-determination, competence, sig-

nificance, impact, and trust were used. Self-de-termination means people’s feeling of freedomin doing their work. Competence rests on the

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Component Social capital variables M1 SD2 R3

Socialinteractions

Social solidarity

Social participation

Social trust

Social awareness

Citrus grower’s using the mass mediaCitrus growers’ relation with other citrus growerscitrus growers’ contact agricultural experts and extension agentsCitrus growers’ relationship with agriculture Jihad organization expert andextension agentsCitrus growers’ contact with the agriculture service centersThe citrus growers’ consultation with local leaders and members in con-nection with citrus and horticultureListening to citrus growers’ adviceOthers’ help to citrus growers in the times of troublesThe citrus growers’ unanimity in solving the village problemsThe interest in the continued presence in the village for citrus growingThe hatred level among the villagersThe people’s referral to the citrus growers on personal and family issuesCitrus growers’ participation in mosques and religious ceremoniesCitrus growers’ reference to each other about their problems in citrusgardeningCitrus growers’ contribution in the development and production programssuch as building bridges and river dredgingCitrus growers’ participation in Village Council public meetingsCitrus growers’ participation in extension- education classes andworkshops on citrus farmingCitrus growers’ trust in village assistant and members of the village councilCitrus growers’ trust in agriculture experts and extension agentsCitrus growers’ trust in the village educated peopleThe citrus growers’ trust in giving their working tools to othersThe citrus growers’ accountability to each otherThe experts’ and extension agents’ keeping their promiseThe experts’ and extension agents’ skills from the citrus growers point of viewThe villagers’ trust in strangersLocal people's using experiences of old villagers on citrus gardeningThe experts’ and extension agents’ favoritism in their jobCitrus growers’ awareness of the social issues in the communityThe citrus growers’ awareness of the citrus harvesting timeCitrus growers’ familiarity with citrus pests and diseasesCitrus growers’ information on the technology of pressurized irrigationsystemsThe citrus growers’ information about building the citrus gardenHaving information on pesticide needed to combat citrus pests and diseases Having the knowledge of integrated pest management technologiesCitrus growers’ information about the garden products market price andinflationCitrus growers information about modern garden machineryHaving information on issues such as political parties and groupsCitrus growers’ awareness of the precise agriculture technologies (GPS,GIS, etc.)Awareness of environmental factors such as compost

3.893.653.603.55

3.523.89

4.184.0

4.164.141.774.074.033.90

3.733.712.094.48

4.244.093.743.713.683.613.55

2.722.0

4.094.083.703.97

3.843.843.773.75

3.73.673.65

3.60

1.391.471.521.57

1.571.39

1.171.261.331.311.111.281.321.4

1.451.460.970.94

1.091.271.461.571.551.581.57

1.741.261.281.261.211.32

1.421.491.551.48

1.51.4

1.56

1.47

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5567

89

10

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Table 3Ranking of the Citrus Growers’ Social Capital Variables

1-Mean 2- Standard Deviation 3- RankLikert scale: None (0), very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4), very much (5)

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fact that people believe they have the requiredskills and abilities to perform their tasks. Sig-nificance holds the idea of valuable works doneby empowered people, and impact states thatpeople should be allowed to practically haveimpact on their environment and that their deci-sion will be accredited. Finally, trust means thatpeople must feel that they are fairly and equallytreated. The questionnaire included questionsabout citrus growers’ age, farming experience,family size, cultivation area, education, socialcapital components (on Likert scale), and em-powerment index (on the Likert scale). TheLikert scale ranged from 0 to 5 as none (0),very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4),very much (5). The independent variable wassocial capital, while the dependent variable wascitrus growers’ empowerment index in SariCounty.

In this study, social capital and empowermentwere categorized according to the interval ofstandard deviation from the mean (ISDM) (Sadatiet al., 2010) as follows: A < mean- SD :( Low),mean-SD < B < mean: (Medium), mean < C <mean+ SD: (Much) and mean + SD< D (Verymuch). The Spearman correlation coefficient wascalculated to show the magnitude of the relationship

between the variables, and the stepwise multipleregression coefficients were computed for theexamination of the correlation of the independentvariables with the dependant variable.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONAs Table 2 reveals, the citrus growers’ average

age was 49.4 years and their average work ex-perience and family size were 25.58 years and4 people, respectively. Considering the citrusgrowers’ literacy level, as Table 2 shows, 25.8percent had diploma.

Table 3 shows that the component of socialinteractions, the variables of citrus grower’susing the mass media, their relation with othercitrus growers and citrus growers’ contact withagriculture organization experts, and extensionagents ranked the first to the third, respectively.Regarding the social solidarity component, thevariables of listening to citrus growers’ advice,others’ helping citrus growers in times of trouble,and the citrus growers’ unanimity in solving thevillage problems ranked the first to the third,respectively. Concerning the social participation,people’s referral to the citrus growers on personaland family issues, citrus growers’ participationin mosques and religious ceremonies, and citrus

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Level Frequency Valid percent Cumulative percent

LowMediumMuchVery muchTotal

193

1925

291

0.332661.7100

0.332.398.3100

Table 4The Citrus Growers’ Social Capital Level in Sari

The ranking mean: 3.69 Median: 4 Standard Deviation: 0.51Likert scale: None (0), very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4), very much (5)

Social capital component M1 SD2 R3

Social awarenessSocial participationSocial interactionsSocial solidaritySocial trust

3.823.663.663.633.62

0.820.951.160.720.76

12234

Table 5Ranking of Citrus Growers’ Social Capital Components in Sari

1- Mean 2- Standard Deviation 3- RankLikert scale: None (0), very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4), very much (5)

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growers’ reference to each other about theirproblems in citrus gardening were placed fromthe first to the third, respectively. In terms ofsocial trust, variables of trust in village assistantand members of the village council, citrus grow-ers’ trust in agriculture experts and extensionagents, and citrus growers’ trust in the village’seducated people ranked the first to the third, re-spectively. Finally, with respect to the socialawareness, the citrus growers’ awareness of thesocial issues in the community, their awarenessof the citrus harvesting time, and their familiaritywith citrus pests and diseases ranked the first to

the third, respectively.The findings in Table 4 reveal that the citrus

growers’ average social capital was high whichis inconsistent with the results of the study bySadati et al. (2012). Furthremore, factors likeawareness, participation, interactions, solidarity,and social trust were prioritized from the firstto the fifth, respectively (Table 5).

Based on the information presented in Table6, self-determination, empowerment index, citrusgrowers’ aid to others in new agricultural prac-tices, the voluntary adoption of new ideas andtechniques, and self-study in citrus gardening

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Component Variable M1 SD2 R3

Self-determination

Competence

Meaning

Impact

Trust

Citrus growers’ aid to others in new agricultural practicesThe voluntary acceptance of new ideas and techniquesSelf-study in citrus gardening issuesCitrus growers’ ability in selling and marketing the products with-out getting helpUsing indigenous knowledgeCitrus growers’ using experienced gardeners’ informationThe rapid adoption of farming techniquesThe ability to apply animal manure instead of chemical fertilizersCitrus growers’ teamwork to improve the productsWillingness to establish selling and marketing unions for the productThe citrus growers consultation with the agricultural experts toincrease the productThe ability to use their skills and potentialities to increase horti-cultural productsCitrus growers’ ability to do their work using modern methodsWillingness to gain new informationCitrus growers’ responsibility toward gardeningThe importance of citrus gardening for the citrus growersConsciously following the traditions and customsHaving a clear and unambiguous plan for their futureBelieving in the gardeners’ suitable conditionTrying to learn the garden products conservationThe effective participation in the village activitiesBelieving in the cooperation between the villagers and the gov-ernment for agricultural developmentAchieving the fruitful results in training coursesGetting information from the experts in establishing self-assistingrural institutesAccepting the experts’ presence in rural areasThe citrus growers’ consultation with experienced villagers andextension agentsUsing the experts’ opinions on using suitable application of themodern gardening technologiesThe interest in horticultural activitiesThe positive attitude toward the governmentGetting the practical and necessary information in fighting thepests and diseases from the gardeners

3.953.943.683.52

3.483.48

43.893.853.833.79

3.76

3.724.394.384.324.3

4.274.18

43.983.86

3.863.54

4.154.1

3.94

3.843.833.81

1.371.261.391.61

1.491.561.361.261.371.431.45

1.43

1.331.011.08

11.091.061.091.381.351.43

1.451.47

1.251.38

1.5

1.461.531.65

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7123456123

34

12

3

456

Table 6Ranking of the Citrus Growers’ Empowerment Variables

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issues ranked the first to the third, respectively.Considering the competence index, the rapidadoption of farming techniques, the ability toapply animal manure instead of chemical fertil-izers and citrus growers’ teamwork to help im-prove the quality of products were placed in thefirst to the third ranks, respectively. Regardingthe empowerment meaning index, the variablesof willingness to gain new information, citrusgrowers’ responsibility toward gardening, andthe importance of citrus gardening for the citrusgrowers were ranked the first and the third, re-spectively. Concerning the empowerment impact,trying to learn the garden products conservation,effective participation in village activities, andbelieving in the cooperation between villagersand the government for agricultural developmentwere ranked the first to the third, respectively.Finally, as regards the empowerment trust, ac-cepting the experts’ presence in rural areas, thecitrus growers’ consultation with experiencedvillagers and extension agents, and using theexperts’ opinions on the correct application ofmodern gardening technologies were placed inthe first to the third ranks, respectively.

The results in Table 7 show that the averagecitrus growers’ empowerment in Sari was highwhich shows high levels of their empowerment.

The indexes of meaning, trust, impact, compe-tence, and self-determination were ranked thefirst to fifth among the citrus growers’ empow-erment in Sari (Table 8).

It was hypothesized that there Was no significance relationship between the

citrus growers’ social capital and empowermentin Sari? To test the research hypothesis, theSpearman correlation coefficient was calculated.The results are given in Table 9 below.

Table 9 reveals a significant relationship be-tween social participation, social trust, and em-powerment self-determination which is in linewith the results of the study by Spreitzer (1995).Moreover, a significant relationship exists be-tween social interactions, social solidarity,social trust, social awareness, and empowermentcompetence. Ghaiumi et al. (2014) showedthat from among social capital components,trust played an important role in empowermentprocess. Moreover, there is a significant rela-tionship between social participation and em-powerment meaning which is consistent withthe results of the study by Spreitzer (1995).As can be seen in Table 10, there is a significantrelationship between the social solidarity,social participation, and empowerment impact.A significant correlation was also observed

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Level Frequency Valid percent Cumulative percent

MediumMuchVery muchTotal

4421235

291

15.172.912

100

15.188

100

Table 7The Citrus Growers’ Empowerment Level in Sari

The ranking Mean: 3.97 Median: 4 Standard Deviation: 0.52Likert scale: zero (0), very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4), very much (5)

Index M1 SD2 R3

Meaning TrustImpactCompetenceSelf-determination

4.353.983.853.843.76

0.771.061.071.011.04

12345

Table 8Ranking the Citrus Growers’ Empowerment Index in Sari

1- Mean 2- Standard Deviation 3- RankLikert scale: zero (0), very low (1), low (2), medium (3), much (4), very much (5)

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between social interactions, social solidarity,and empowerment trust, and finally, there wasa significant relationship between citrus grow-ers’ social capital and empowerment suggestingthat the higher social capital, the higher the levelof empowerment, which is in agreement withAazami et al. (2012), Fewer et al. (2013),Ghashghaeizadeh et al. (2014), Keshavarzi etal. (2011), and Widiarta et al.’s (2009) studyfindings. Aazami et al. (2012) argue that socialcapital provides empowerment for rural peopleby increasing income through members’ ac-

tivities in local groups, controlling income,and by developing economic and socialactivities.

The stepwise linear regression was used todetermine the role of social capital on citrusgrowers’ empowerment in Sari County. Table10 shows that 12.4 percent of the citrus growers’empowerment variance is explained by socialcapital and that social capital correlates withthe level of empowerment by 36.5 percent. Theregression equation is as follows:

Y = 2.615 + 0.367 (Social Capital)

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

Social capital Empowerment rs p-value

Social interactions Social solidaritySocial participation Social trust Social awareness Social interactions Social solidaritySocial participation Social trust Social awareness Social interactions Social solidaritySocial participation Social trust Social awareness Social interactions Social solidaritySocial participation Social trust Social awareness Social interactions Social solidaritySocial participation Social trust Social awareness Social capital

Self-determination

Competence

Meaning

Impact

Trust

Empowerment

0.067-0.0570.331**0.222**0.112

0.290**-0.160**0.013

0.185**0.548**0.0560.097

0.166**0.0360.0200.034

0.170**0.271**0.0110.033-0.360**0.169**0.005-0.0280.075

0.349**

0.2530.3350.0000.0000.0570.0000.0060.8230.0020.0000.3450.0990.0050.5370.7300.5590.0040.0000.8460.5740.0000.0040.9280.6400.2020.000

Table 9The Correlation between the Citrus Growers’ Social Capital and Empowerment

**p<0.01 * p< 0.05

ModelUnstandardized coefficients Standardized coefficients

t p-valueB Std Error Beta

1 (Constant)Social Capital

2.6150.367

0.2110.057

-0.356

12.3956.480

0.0090.002

Table 10The Citrus Growers’ Empowerment Regression by Social Capital in Sari Township

R = 0.356; R2= 0.127; Adjusted R2 = 0.124; F = 41.99; Sig = 0.000

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONSThe results showed that the citrus growers’

average work experience was 25.58 years, rep-resenting a good level of experience in gardening.The citrus growers’ average empowerment inSari was high, showing their high level of em-powerment. Considering self-determination asan element of empowerment, it is recommendedto pay special attention to social participationand trust. To strengthen the empowerment com-petence, particular consideration must be practicedon social solidarity, social trust, social interaction,and social awareness, and social participationmust be exercised to foster empowerment mean-ing. Moreover, social solidarity and social par-ticipation must be considered to strengthen theempowerment impact. In addition, it has beensuggested that the empowerment trust will bestrengthened through social interactions, socialsolidarity, and empowerment trust.

Considering the self-determination as an ele-ment of empowerment, variables such as thecitrus growers’ aid to others in new agriculturalpractices, the voluntary adoption of new ideasand techniques, and self-study in citrus gardeningissues should be more emphasized. As regardscompetence as yet another element of empow-erment, the rapid adoption of farming techniques,the ability to apply animal manure in lieu ofchemical fertilizers, and citrus growers’ teamworkto improving the products quality should behighlighted. Concerning meaning as an elementof empowerment, the variables of willingnessto gain new information, citrus growers’ re-sponsibility toward gardening, and the importanceof citrus gardening for the citrus growers mustbe taken into consideration. As regards impactas yet another element of empowerment, tryingto learn the garden products conservation, theeffective participation in the village activities,and believing in the cooperation between villagersand the government for agricultural developmentshould be taken into account. Considering trustas another element of empowerment, acceptingthe experts’ presence in rural areas, the citrusgrowers’ consultation with experienced villagersand extension agents, and using the experts’opinions on correct application of modern gar-

dening technologies must be considered.The result also showed that the component of

social interactions, the variables of citrus grower’susing the mass media, their relation with othercitrus growers and citrus growers’ contact withagricultural experts and extension agents rankedthe first to the third, respectively. Regarding thesocial solidarity component, the variables oflistening to citrus growers’ advice, others’ helpto citrus growers in times of trouble, and thecitrus growers’ unanimity in solving the villageproblems ranked the first to the third, respectively.Concerning the social participation, people’sreferral to the citrus growers on personal andfamily issues, citrus growers’ participation inmosques and religious ceremonies, and citrusgrowers’ consultation with to each other abouttheir problems in citrus gardening were placedin the first to the third rank, respectively. Interms of social trust, variables of trust in villageassistant and members of the village council,citrus growers’ trust in agriculture experts andextension agents, and citrus growers’ trust in thevillage’s educated people ranked the first to thethird, respectively. Finally, pointing to the socialawareness, the citrus growers’ awareness of thesocial issues in the community, the citrus growers’awareness of the citrus harvesting time, andtheir familiarity with citrus pests and diseasesranked the first to the third, respectively.

Given the results of the present study, then, itis necessary to strengthen citrus growers’ use ofmass media, their relation with other citrusgrowers and their contact with agriculture or-ganization expert and extension agents amongthe components of social interactions.

For the social solidarity, it is recommended toemphasize listening to citrus growers’ advice,citrus growers’ help in times of troubles, andthe citrus growers’ unanimity in solving thevillage problems.

Regarding the citrus growers’ social partici-pation, the people’s referral to the citrus growerson family and personal matters, their participationin mosques and religious ceremonies, and theirconsultation with each other about their problemsin citrus gardening must be addressed.

It is important for the social trust to consider

Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

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citrus growers’ trust in village assistants andmembers of the village council, their trust inagriculture experts and extension agents, andtheir trust in the village educated people.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTThe author gratefully acknowledge Sari Branch,

Islamic Azad University for its financially sup-porting the present study.

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Role of Social Capital in Citrus Growers’ Empowerment / Mehdi Charmchian Langerodi

How to cite this article:Charmchian Langerodi, M. (2016). Role of social capital in Citrus growers’ empowerment in SariCounty, Northern Iran. International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development, 6(4),397-408.

URL: http://ijamad.iaurasht.ac.ir/article_525923_92c132b4b6dfd39d438c72500a6ad28f.pdf