تحلیل میزان تمایل شهروندی به تحقق کشاورزی شهری از دیدگاه شهروندان شهر رشت

ABSTRACT
Urban development based on the realization of urban agriculture is a crucial step towards the sustainability of cities, particularly in urban areas with a history of agriculture. The current research aims to assess the feasibility of implementing urban agriculture in Rasht city from the perspective of Rasht city's citizens, employing a descriptive-analytical method. A study was conducted to collect research information on the degree of desire among citizens to pursue agriculture in Rasht city, using the Delphi method to distribute 383 questionnaires among Rasht city residents. In this context, the economic, social, and infrastructural dimensions, as well as the role of the government in facilitating the development of urban agriculture, are factors influencing the degree of citizens' tendency to adopt urban agriculture in Rasht city. These factors have been examined using the structural equation model and PLS analysis. The results of the research showed that the factor of compensating wages or low salaries from the current job has the greatest effect on the economic factor; also, the effect of the desire to provide labor from among citizens and interested people has the most weight in the society, and after that, the efforts of government and city managers to promote urban agriculture has the most effect on the role of the government, the factors of access to human resources.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Currently, the challenges caused by urban development mainly occur in developing countries. In the mid-20th century, only 17.8% of the population in developing countries lived in cities, but this percentage is expected to reach 60% by 2030. The rapid growth of urbanization and high population growth pose serious threats to the sustainability of global cities, as land is considered the most important and sensitive urban resource, crucial for human needs. On the other hand, the growth of the urban population has led to a decline in agricultural production in rural areas while increasing the demand for food in cities. One way to address this problem is to incorporate urban agriculture into sustainable urban development. In Iran, due to issues such as the lack of codified policies, specific laws, and necessary incentives, as well as the undefined nature of land use and the unclear roles of responsible and custodian institutions in this field, addressing this issue is necessary. Considering that Rasht is the most populous city in northern Iran among the three marginal provinces bordering the Caspian Sea, and given the region's climate and significant agricultural potential, this city has been selected as a case study. Agricultural capacity exists at various levels throughout this city, in the form of different types of urban agriculture. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a model that enables urban agriculture to be incorporated into the city's implementation plans. The purpose of this research is to measure the feasibility of implementing urban agriculture in Rasht city from the citizens' point of view. In this regard, the current research aims to identify the key factors influencing the degree of desire to adopt urban agriculture among citizens.
 
Methodology
This research is quantitative, with an applied purpose, and employs a descriptive approach in terms of data collection. Data collection was conducted through a researcher-designed questionnaire comprising 5 sections as economic (6 items), social (5 items), government roles (6 items), infrastructure and facilities (8 items), and the degree of desire for urban agriculture (3 items). To design the questionnaires, we conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the subject of the research, analyzed the results, and consulted with experts. We employed the techniques of field observation and informal interviews to gain a general view of the citizens and ultimately prepared the initial questionnaire. After evaluating the questionnaire's validity with specialists and experts, the reliability of the research tool was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for Likert scale questions, which yielded an alpha coefficient of 0.916, a very high value. Data analysis was conducted using Smart-PLS software and the structural equation modeling technique of confirmatory factor analysis.
 
Results and discussion
The research findings show that the factor loadings of all indicators exceed the numerical value of 0.6. In 9 indicators, this value exceeds 0.8, indicating that the structures are well explained by the selected indicators. In this regard, compensating for the low wages or salaries of the current job has the greatest effect on the economic factor; in other words, the respondents believe that the most important role of the desire for urban agriculture in terms of impact on the economic factor is through the desire to urban agriculture to compensate for the low wages and salaries of the current job of the citizens. Moreover, with a very low margin, there is a lack of job opportunities from the point of view of citizens, which affects their desire for urban agriculture. Also, the effect of the desire to provide labor from among citizens and interested people has the most weight in explaining the variance of the social factor; if the desire for urban agriculture increases in the cities, it can lead to the improvement of the social situation of the city by attracting the interested workforce for the citizens, and since the indigenous culture of the province requires that those interested in this field in Rasht city can be a strong point and a suitable opportunity for the development of urban agriculture. Additionally, the efforts of government and city managers to promote urban agriculture have the most significant effect in explaining the variance in the role of the government, in that the desire for urban agriculture can be increased and influenced by these efforts to promote agriculture at the city level. In addition, access to human resources (experts, labor, sellers, marketers, etc.) has the greatest effect in explaining the variance of the factor of infrastructures and facilities so that, according to citizens, the most infrastructures and facilities are needed to encourage engagement in urban agriculture. It is based on the expert, laborforce, seller, and marketer that, if provided, we can expect to advance the goal of this research
 
Conclusion
This research aimed to measure the feasibility of implementing urban agriculture in Rasht city, from the point of view of citizens and concluded that an urban space based on the realization of urban agriculture with a flexible use planning approach could provide a legal basis for urban agriculture by using various types of use mixing, economic, infrastructural, governmental, social, etc., to be an effective step in increasing the quality of life of citizens in the city. The findings of this research indicate that the development of urban agriculture can be observed through the involvement of an interested workforce in urban agriculture and the interest of native citizens of Gilan in economic growth opportunities within the field, who possess the necessary mental background and skills to farm native and local products.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved the content of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.
 
Conflict of Interest
Authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgments
 We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.