Space Economy and Rural Development

Space Economy and Rural Development

Spatial Analysis of Relations Between Rural Farmers (Case Study of Industrial Poultry Farmers in Shazand County)

Authors
Farzaneh Ghasemi
Alireza Darban astane
Mohammad reza Rezvani
Hasanali Faraji sabokbar
Human geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.61186/serd.13.1.6
Abstract
Objective: Network is a concept used to understand organizational relationships between economic actors. Networks are a form of business and innovation system and are powerful mechanisms for communication. The main objective of this research is to analyze the spatial network of poultry farmers in Shazand County in terms of cohesion and intra- and inter-group links through the E-I grouping index, separated by geographical levels of village, district, and section. The higher the inter-group relationships, the higher the social capital will be along with higher social cohesion.

Methods: The statistical population of this study consisted of all poultry farmers in the villages of Shazand County in 2023 (68 farms). The required data were collected through interviews and determined using UCINET software.

Results: The results of network analysis showed that the E-I grouping index in social relationships among poultry farmers was 4.97% at the village level, 4.75% at the district level, and 7.41% at the section level, indicating a very high tendency for intra-group communication among poultry farmers at the village level. According to research findings, the power of intra-group communication among poultry farmers at the village level is significantly higher than that at the district and section levels. The spatial analysis of E-I index findings in relationships between poultry farmers based on village, district, and section indicates a greater tendency for intra-group communication.

Conclusions: Considering the importance of geographical distance, wind direction, traffic flow, direct communication in pollution and disease transmission between farms, as well as maintaining stability and health of farms and avoiding various types of pollution and diseases and specific environmental conditions... Intra-group communication among farms at the village, district, and section levels has increased while there is a decrease in inter-group communication.
Keywords
spatial analysis
E-I grouping index
Business network
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  • Receive Date 08 June 2026
  • First Publish Date 08 June 2026