نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه نقشه‌برداری گرایش GIS، دانشکده عمران، دانشگاه تربیت دبیرشهید رجایی، تهران، ایران.
2 موسسه تحقیقات پنبه کشور، سازمان تحقیقات، آموزش و ترویج کشاورزی، گرگان، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and objectives: Assessment of the effectiveness of research is intended to determine the economic, social, environmental and long-term effects of research, the promotion and development of knowledge or technology. Indicators of effectiveness should be simple, measurable, achievable and realistic. Impact assessment can improve the implementation and prioritisation of research and ultimately lead to the optimal allocation of resources in research programmes. It is not possible to allocate limited resources and identify the social value of technical knowledge and technologies and make judgements about them in research. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the economic, technical, social and political effectiveness of the research, educational and extension activities of the National Cotton Research Institute during the period 1391–1402.
Materials and methods: The main objective of this study was to investigate the role and effectiveness of the Iranian Cotton Research Institute in agriculture and natural resources, and to estimate indicators of the economic, social, environmental, governance and scientific effectiveness of its activities. The indices used to evaluate the economic effectiveness of the outcomes introduced by the institute include increases in the amount and value of agricultural produce, reductions in production costs, reductions in imports, increases in exports and improvements in the production process. Social indicators include improvements in the health of the target society, the size of budgets, and the number of regulations and guidelines approved, as well as the number of scientific papers, extension activities, and printed books. Therefore, in this evaluation, 21 research outcomes in four areas – breeding, agronomy, plant medicine and engineering technology – were examined. The data were compiled based on the institute's information, the level of acceptance of technologies in the field, and economic and technical indicators.
Results: The findings showed that the introduction of new cotton varieties and modern agricultural technologies increased fibre production by about 63 thousand in 1402 and generated economic income of 17,746 billion Rials. The use of these technologies also reduced production costs by 1.771 billion Rials and saved about 159 million cubic metres of water in cotton farming. The benefit–cost ratio (economic effectiveness) of the institute's research activities was estimated at about 17.3 in 1402 (2023), i.e. for each Rial of research costs, 17.3 Rials of economic benefit for cotton growers and other stakeholders were realised. In addition to economic effects, the application of these findings played an effective role in improving the efficiency of resource consumption, reducing the use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, increasing water productivity, improving seed quality and reducing dependence on imports.
Conclusion: The results showed that continued investment in applied cotton research will lead to higher economic and social returns for the country's agricultural sector and can contribute to achieving food security, sustainable employment and the development of the textile industry.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
)