Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Graduated MSc, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3
Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
10.22124/cjes.2025.8721
Abstract
The social life cycle is an emerging field in the agricultural and food industry that quantifies social impacts, e.g., working conditions, community impacts, and human rights concerns. The publication of guidelines for social life cycle assessment of products and services in 2009 brought about a new and remarkable development in life cycle assessment. In the current situation that we are moving towards sustainable development and responsible production and consumption, it is necessary to focus on improving not only the environmental conditions but also the social conditions of production. Social life cycle assessment is presented as the most effective technique to assess the social impacts of products during their life cycle. The present research was conducted in Talesh County, Guilan Province in 2025 to investigate the social effects of rice production by using social life cycle assessment. So, 416 participants were randomly sampled from five stakeholder groups, including rice mill managers (n = 49), rice mill workers (n = 81), rice farmers (n = 95), rice field workers (n = 95), and the local community (n = 96). In the present study, to investigate the social impacts of rice production, four social indicators were evaluated: "human rights", "working conditions", "cultural heritage and community development", and "socio-economic consequences". The results showed that the social conditions governing the rice production cycle in Talesh County were at a moderate level. Some social indicators, such as "working conditions," were found to have an average status from the perspective of the stakeholder groups of factory managers, factory workers, rice farmers, and rice field workers. The criterion "cultural heritage and community development" was revealed to be weak and need improvement from the perspective of factory workers, rice farmers, and rice field workers. Based on the results, the sub-criterion of "working conditions" did not gain a good score. In the two sub-criteria of freedom of association and collective negotiations of employees with the employer and fair rights, rice farm workers did not have a favorable situation while a large number of workers were unaware of their basic rights, resulting in labor and employer conflicts and the reluctance of workers to do the work properly and the resulting dissatisfaction of both groups. If wage inequalities and gender gaps in this sector are reduced, households' living conditions and well-being will be significantly improved. By prioritizing workers' welfare, the sector can have a more sustainable and responsible workforce. As workers' satisfaction increases in all aspects, the aspects of social sustainability will be in more favorable conditions.
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