One of the needs of a sustainable decision-making system in agriculture is to determine the role of energy in the food production cycle. Wind energy turbines can be built in agricultural fields for groundwater exploitation and reduce the cost of energy supply for the pumping system. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of wind energy and economics on sustainable planning of agricultural water resources. A multiobjective framework was developed based on the nondominated sorting principle and water cycle optimizer. Maximization of benefit per cost ratio for the total cropping pattern and minimization of energy consumption for the growing season were addressed as the objectives of the nonlinear problem. The prediction of biomass production was made by simulating a hybrid structure between the soil moisture balance in the root zone area and the development of the canopy cover of each crop. The results showed that the objectives of the problem have been met by irrigation planning using climatic constraints and drought stresses. About 35% of the total water requirement of plants with a higher harvest index (watermelon, melon, etc.) is in the maturing stage of the shade cover.

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Natural resources development cooperatives (NRDCs) are leading enterprises that develop sustainable community‐based solutions. Basically, such cooperatives attempt to engage beneficiaries in environmental conservation through collective action. However, there exist remarkable shortcomings in administering these types of cooperatives. This paper aims to investigate beneficiaries' willingness to participate and invest in NRDCs based on three educational, economic, and social sections, each represented by their corresponding components, which represent the variables (sub‐factors) of each section. The current research was performed using a descriptive‐survey approach. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 63 cooperatives' board members located in Ardabil Province in Iran. Results discovered that three variables of information, participation acceptance rate and top‐down planning from educational factors alongside those of conservation effectiveness and projected outlook from the economic factor significantly affect participation levels in NRDCs. Similarly, the lack of rangeland ownership, cooperatives' limited problem‐solving capabilities, and concerns about environmental conservation of formerly demolished lands, all components of the social section investigated in this study, highly influenced beneficiaries' participation in cooperatives. Correlation coefficient analysis between the efficient factors showed that education levels have no significant relationship with the two remaining factors; however, the economic and social factors positively and significantly (p < 0.01) relate to beneficiaries' participation level. Nonparametric correlation analysis determined that variables from the economic factor analysis, such as the financial capital size, awareness levels, indigenous culture, people's experiences interacting with the administrative bodies of NRDCs, the state‐run economy, and the lack of support for beneficiaries by cooperatives from the social factor analysis each have independent and distinct relationships that affect participation in cooperatives. However, from the educational factor analysis, all variables were influenced reciprocally and were of inferior importance to participation in NRDCs.

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