Factors Affecting the Iranian Rural Youth Motivation to be Engaged in Agricultural Profession:A Case Study of Kelardasht County

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Abstract

          The objective of this study was to examine factors affecting the rural youth motivation to be engaged in agricultural profession in Kelardasht county. The statistical population covered 2240 rural youth of the county. The sample size was equal to 327 based on Morgan Table and multi stage cluster sampling technique. The final number of collected and analyzed questionnaires was equal to 292. The findings indicated that 18.8% of rural youth had negative attitudes towards agriculture, while 81.2% showed a positive attitude. There was a significant relationship between rural youth motivation to be engaged in agricultural profession and their self image, knowing agricultural centers and organizations, the level of education, attitude, and age. The results from the multiple regression analysis indicated that the four following variables explained 21.5% of the variance in rural youth motivation to be engaged in agricultural profession: rural employment opportunities, self image, farmers attitude towards agricultural occupation, and age.        

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