Autumn 2019. Vol 10. Num 3 396 * Corresponding Author: Hamid Balali, Phd Address: Pajohesh Chahar Bagh, Bu-Ali Sina University, Agriculture faculty, Depaertment of Agricultural Educaton & Extenton Tel: +98 (81) 34425403 E-mail: h-balali@basu.ac.ir Research Paper A Comparatve Analysis of Investment in the Development of Agricultural Processing Indus- tries Using Delphi & Engineering-Economic Approach (Case Study: Hamedan County) 1. Associate Professor on Agricultural Economic, Department of Agricultural Extension & Educaton, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran. 2. M.Sc. on Rural Development, Department of Agricultural Extension & Educaton, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan, Iran. * Hamid Balali 1 , Sara Ghazvineh 2 , Reza Movahedi 1 The main objectve of this research is to prioritze investment in the food processing industry in Hamedan and compare the results in two quanttatve and qualitatve approaches using engineering economics and Delphi. This research is practcal in terms of purpose and is non-experimental in terms of data collecton. In the present study, valuable themes were found through a Delphi method, and then they were processed from the point of view of experts. Necessary estmates were done using the Engineering-Economic ap- proach (such as fxed investment costs, producton costs, depreciaton, assets, etc.). The engineering-eco- nomic analysis was done by the net present worth (NPW), the rate of return (ROR), and the cost of creatng each job. According to the results of the Delphi method, industries related to garlic and potato crops were priorites. Then industries related to pickles producton, canned, and concentrated fruits were the next priorites. According to research fndings, concerning the standard rate of return (ROR) on investment, the pickles producton plan is the frst priority. Raisin and potato powder productons situated in the second and third preferences. According to the net present value of investment, forage and animal feed plan, potato powder, and garlic powder producton were ranked as frst to third, respectvely. According to the results of the Delphi method, industries related to products such as garlic and potatoes were given the frst priority, followed by picking, canning, and compote industries. Based on the research fndings and taking the Capital Return Rate (ROR) criterion into account, the frst priority is the picking plan, and raisin produc- ton and potato powder producton are the next ranks. Based on the cost-of-job creaton index, the priority plan for pickling producton and the agricultural compost producton plan were given the tenth priority. A B S T R A C T Key words: Engineering Economics, Delphi Approach, Invest - ment, Agricultural Processing Indus- tries, comparatve analysis Received: 05 Jan. 2018 Accepted: 15 Mar. 2019 Extended Abstract 1. Introduction mphasis on scientifc research methods and selecting the best methodology are of great importance. Generally, all research methods can be divided into two categories: quantitative and qualita- tive. The former is based on the philosophy of positiv- ism. This method tries to promote current knowledge and fll the gap between the recognition of reality and E Citation: Balali, H., Ghazvineh, S., & Movahedi, R. (2019).[A Comparative Analysis of Investment in the Development of Agricultural Processing Industries Using Delphi & Engineering-Economic Approach (Case Study: Hamedan County) (Per - sian)]. Journal of Rural Research, 10(3), 396-407, http://dx.doi.org/10.22059/jrur.2019.249581.1207 : http://dx.doi.org/10.22059/jrur.2019.249581.1207 Use your device to scan and read the artcle online Copyright © 2019, Journal of Rural Research. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-noncommer - cial 4.0 International License which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.