Analyzing the impacts of agricultural land use change according to the experts opinion of agricultural land organization in Iran

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD. Candidate and Professors, Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Development, University of Tehran, Iran

2 Post-doc Researcher, Department of Geography, University of Gent, Belgium

3 Head of Planning and Programming, Department of Agricultural Land Organization, Iran

Abstract

Agricultural Land use Change (ALC), due to its direct relation with some issues such as food security and environmental sustainability, has become one of the main challenge of humanity in the 21 century. According to the 2012 FAO report, from 1970 to 2009, the per capita of arable land in the world and Iran respectively has decreased 1.46% and 2.054%. It represents that ALC conditions in Iran is worse than the most of the other areas of the world. Undoubtedly, reduction the area of agricultural lands entails the various economical, social and environmental impacts. The main object of this study was analyzing the impacts of ALC. This study was a survey research which conducted by interviews and correspondence. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire. The study group consisted of 101 experts working in Agricultural Lands Organizations and Administrations in 2013. Since they were limited, all of them were interviewed. They were randomly selected through 135 experts. This study showed that "accelerating the process of ALC due to change in the price of the land", "increasing the motivation of ALC among other farmers" and "increasing the consumption of energy" were the most important economical, social and environmental impacts of the ALC. But, based on the results of structural equation model, "reduction the incentive to live in rural areas", "increasing the income risk of rural households" and "reduction the air quality" although were not the most important impacts, but were the most effective social, economical and environmental impacts of these changes.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research
Volume 45, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
January 2015
Pages 639-650

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