Exploring the role of information networks in promoting sustainable rural production in Iran.

We live in an age that many traditional teachings have changed and are constantly changing. Information sources are necessary for decision making. Awareness of available information sources in the field of production activity and communicating and receiving information from existing sources has a great impact on the progress of the production unit and obtaining a higher income advantage. This research aimed to analyze the weavers' receiving information network from other actors in the knowledge and innovation system of silk hand-made carpet (KISSHC) production in rural areas. Data were collected by interviewing 270 rural households in rural areas in three townships of Zanjan province included Tarom, Khodabandeh, and Zanjan using a structured questionnaire, and the weavers' receiving information network were studied by social network analysis (SNA) in UCINET (A comprehensive package for the analysis of social network data as well as other 1-mode and 2-mode data.). The results of the research showed that the weavers' information receiving network has a very low density and generally, weavers have little communication with other actors in order to receive information about the different stages of carpet production. Among them, the most frequency is related to family-owned production system and the largest amount of information received from local actors includes family members and neighbor weavers, fellow villagers and relatives. Employers and sellers of raw materials, Union of Rural Hand-made Carpet Cooperative Companie and Department of vocational education were other important actors in the information receiving network. We can be concluded from the findings, weave in the self-employed production system, has caused the most communication among external actors to be related to market actors, which include employers and investors in production. Also, due to weave at home and informal intergenerational education, the most important source of information for weavers are family members, neighbour weavers, fellow villagers and relatives. Therefore, it is possible to strengthen the interaction network of weavers through improving the production method and supporting the self-employed production system.