Comparing the Characteristics of Pomegranate Insurance Adopters and Non-adopters among Orchard Owners in Rural Areas of Natanz County of Iran

   Fatemeh HAFFARI [1] and Darioush HAYATI [2]   Received: 3 February, 2015 Accepted: 3 May, 2016     This study aimed at comparing the characteristics of pomegranate insurance adopters and non-adopters among orchard owners in rural areas of Natanz county of Iran. It was conducted in a survey method. Stratified random sampling was used to collect data from 250 farmers who were selected based on Cochran sampling formula. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire, the validity of which was confirmed by a group of professionals. Also, a pilot study was conducted and Cronbach's alpha test was calculated to determine reliability of the questionnaire. Findings revealed that there were significant differences between adopters and non-adopters of insurance services in relation to their personal, social and economic factors. According to the discriminate analysis results, six independent variables could discriminate two groups of treatments; and 'experience toward agricultural insurance' was the most important discriminator in this regard. Finally, based on the study results, some recommendations were presented to enhance adoption rate of agricultural insurance.       [1] . M Sc Graduate in Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.   3. Corresponding Author and Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran ( hayati@shirazu.ac.ir )..