Environmental sustainability is one of the most important considerations in planning and managing agriculture in any country nowadays. Agriculture plays an important role in Afghanistan's economy and employment. Herat province is rich in agricultural production in Afghanistan. To achieve environmental sustainability along with profitability, the present research aimed to develop an optimal cropping pattern for Afghanistan with environmental considerations. The crops studied include wheat, barley, sesame, cumin, and saffron, which accounted for more than 70 percent of the cropping area in Herat province. The goal and linear programming model were used to determine the optimal cropping pattern. The goals of reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides along with maximizing gross margins were used in the goal model with the aim of achieving environmental sustainability. The results of the linear model, aimed at maximizing gross margins, showed that in the optimal pattern of the region, the cultivated area of sesame, barley, and saffron should be increased and the cultivated area of wheat and cumin should be decreased versus the status quo. In addition, the results of goal models in different scenarios showed significant changes in comparison to the current cropping pattern. پرونده مقاله

Crop marketing has an important role in accomplishing goals such as agricultural development, production increase, and enhancement of farmers’ income in developing countries. Citrus production, especially sour lemon, is one of the most important productions in Larestan County, Fars province in Iran. So, the determinants of the sour lemon marketing system improvement were prioritized in Larestan in this study using Analytic Network Process (ANP) in which data were collected through a questionnaire filled by experts in the region. Criteria were the 4Ps (Product, Place, Promotion, and Price) in the marketing mix and here were also some sub-criteria for each of the criteria. The criteria and sub-criteria were chosen based on other studies and also experts’ views in the region. Results showed that product and promotion criteria had the first and last priorities in improving the sour lemon marketing system in Larestan County, respectively. In addition, proper packaging and designing to create a competitive advantage was the most important sub-criterion for improving the sour lemon marketing system in the region. Also, the creation of processing industries and using marketing cooperatives were the next most important sub-criteria, respectively. According to the results, it is suggested to develop proper packaging, processing industries, and marketing cooperatives in the region. پرونده مقاله