Analysis of the Causes of Agricultural Land Use Change from the Perspective of Experts in Agricultural Centers of Dashtestan County

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 MSc., Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering and Rural Development, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran.

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture Engineering and Rural Development, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Mollasani, Iran.

Abstract

Every year, some of the best agricultural lands in the country are changed for various reasons and converted into non-agricultural uses, and the departure of such lands from the field of agricultural and horticultural production causes irreparable damage. In this regard, the present study was conducted qualitatively, using the fundamental theory method with the aim of investigating the causes of land use change in Dashtestan City of Bushehr province. Participants in this study were 16 experts from agricultural centers in the city who were selected for the study through targeted snowball sampling (chain reference). The criterion for the number of samples was theoretical saturation. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Finally, the collected data were coded and analyzed in the form of 55 concepts and 18 categories. Finally, the extracted factors based on their nature in 8 mechanisms (economic (13 factors), social (7 factors), environmental (9 factors), welfare (8 factors), legal (7 factors), human (4), supportive (2 factors) and psychological (5 factors) were placed in the model of Strauss and Corbin.

Keywords


Albrecht, Y. (2019). The Contemporaneity of Grounded Theory: Data and Emotional Reflexivity. Sociological Focus, 52(2), 107-116.
Amini, S., Rahmani, B., & Majidi Khamenei, B. (2017). Economic Consequences of Land Use Changes in Pirashahr Villages (Case: Villages in Jey County in Isfahan). Quarterly Journal of Space Economics and Rural Developmen, 6 (20), 40-17 (In Persian).
Amirnejad, H. (2014). Investigating the effective factors on farmers' desire to change land use in Mazandaran province. Journal of Agricultural Economics Research. 5 (4), 106-87 (In Persian).
Asadi, A., Savari, M., Shokati Amghani, M., Rezaei, A. M., Ranjbar, A. & Zarei, M. (2018). Challenges of qualitative research from the perspective of faculty members and doctoral students of the Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Development, University of Tehran. Journal of Agricultural Education Management Research, 10 (45), 115-98 (In Persian).
Bahremand Paskeh, Z., & Kavusi Kalashmi, M. (2021). Identification of affecting factors on agricultural land use change in belgor village, Sowmehsara County. Quarterly Journal of Rural Development Strategies, 7 (2), 170-157 (In Persian).
Bakker, J. I. (2019). Grounded theory methodology and grounded theory method: Introduction to the special issue. Sociological Focus, 52(2), 91-106.
Bazargan, A. (2010). Introduction to Qualitative and Mixed Research Methods, Tehran, Didar, Second Edition (In Persian).
Charmaz, K., & Thornberg, R. (2020). The pursuit of quality in grounded theory. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1-23.
Danie Fard, H., & Emami, S. M. (2008). Qualitative Research Strategies: A Reflection on Foundation Data Theory. Journal of Management Thought, 1 (2), 97-69 (In Persian).
Darban Astaneh, A. R., Rezvani, M. R., & Seddiqi, S. (2016). Investigation of economic and social factors of land use changes (Case study: Mahmoudabad city). Quarterly Journal of Rural Research and Planning, 5 (3), 143-127 (In Persian).
Dehghan, H., & Falsafiyan, A. (2018). Identifying the effective factors on maintaining agricultural land use in the direction of sustainable agriculture (Case study: Bostanabad city). Quarterly Journal of Agricultural Knowledge and Sustainable Production, 28 (1), 168-151 (In Persian).
Fathi Najafi, T., & Latifnjad Rudsari, R. (2016). Observation in the grounded theory approach: A review study. Journal of Qualitative Research in Health Sciences, 5 (2), 229-221 (In Persian).
Gholizadeh Aziz, V., Ghasemi, Y, M. & Mahdi Zadeh, M. (2017). How to evaluate the quality of life among the villagers in the suburbs of Urmia. Social Development Quarterly, 11 (4), 154-131 (In Persian).
Halaweh, M. (2012). Integration of grounded theory and case study: An exemplary application from e-commerce security perception research. Journal of Information Technology Theory and Application, 13(1), 31-51.
Halpern, A. B. W., & Meadows, M. E. (2013). Fifty years of land use change in the Swartland, Western Cape, South Africa: characteristics, causes and consequences. South African Geographical Journal= Suid-Afrikaanse Geografiese Tydskrif, 95(1), 38-49.
Hishe, S., Bewket, W., Nyssen, J., & Lyimo, J. (2020). Analysing past land use land cover change and CA-Markov-based future modelling in the Middle Suluh Valley, Northern Ethiopia. Geocarto International, 35(3), 225-255.
Hou, D., Meng, F., & Prishchepov, A. V. (2021). How is urbanization shaping agricultural land-use? Unraveling the nexus between farmland abandonment and urbanization in China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 214, 104170.
Jafari, S., Golchin, A., & Tolabi Fard, A. (2016). The effect of land use change on the properties of physical components of organic matter, the amount of diffuse clay and the stability of aggregates in some lands of Khuzestan province. Iranian Journal of Soil and Water Research, 47 (3), 603-593 (In Persian).
Jose, M., & Padmanabhan, M. (2016). Dynamics of agricultural land use change in Kerala: a policy and social-ecological perspective. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 14(3), 307-324.
Kalali Moghaddam, J. (2015). Investigating the effective factors on land use change (Case study: Rural areas of Rasht). Quarterly Journal of Rural Research and Planning, 4 (1), 132-113 (In Persian).
Kalali, H. (2009). Fundamental theory as a method of theorizing. Culture-Communication Studies Quarterly, 10 (6), 140-119 (In Persian).
Karbasi, A. R., Yazdankhah, B., & Mohammadzadeh, S. H. (2018). Investigating the effective factors on land use change in Khorasan Razavi. Journal of Environmental Science, 44 (1), 111-99 (In Persian).
Khezri, M., Nouri Pour, M., & Falsafi, P. (2016). Designing a model of participation of public, private sectors, exploiters and organizations to achieve sustainable agricultural development (Case study: Central part of Boyer-Ahmad city). Quarterly Journal of Rural Research and Planning, 4 (12), 146-127 (In Persian).
Lu, Q., Liang, F., Bi, X., Duffy, R., & Zhao, Z. (2011). Effects of urbanization and industrialization on agricultural land use in Shandong Peninsula of China. Ecological Indicators, 11(6), 1710-1714.
Meyer, M. A., & Früh-Müller, A. (2020). Patterns and drivers of recent agricultural land-use change in Southern Germany. Land Use Policy, 99, 104959.
Mohammad Sharifi, M., Hayati, B., Pish Bahar, A., & Dashti, Q. (2020). Factors affecting land use change in Dezful city. Journal of Agricultural Economics Research. 12 (1): 44-25 (In Persian).
Mohammadi, M., Mehrabi, A., Ghorbani, F., & Khorasani, M, A. (2013). Manpower Affecting Land Use Change in Rural Areas (Case Study: Alkleh and Si Bin Villages - Tonekabon County). Geography Quarterly, 10 (35): 298-279 (In Persian).
Mohammadi, S, Z., Mohammadzadeh, S., & Yazdanpanah, M. (2019). Predicting the Factors Affecting Cooperative Production Member Palm Owners’ Behavior in Dashtestan Township in Relation to Water Conservation: Compare the Power of the Theories of Planned Behavior and Norm-Activation Model. Journal of Cooperatives and Agriculture, 7 (28), 137-103 (In Persian).
Mosavi, M., & Yazdanpanah, M. (2021). Factors affecting land use change in Bavi city of Khuzestan province. Journal of Land Management. 9 (1), 13-23 (In Persian).
Nassar, M., Levy, R., Keough, N., & Nassar, N. N. (2019). Agricultural land use change and its drivers in the palestinian landscape under political instability, the case of Tulkarm City. Journal of Borderlands Studies, 34(3), 377-394.
Paudel, B., Zhang, Y., Yan, J., Rai, R., & Li, L. (2019). Farmers' perceptions of agricultural land use changes in Nepal and their major drivers. Journal of environmental management, 235, 432-441.
Prabhakar, S. V. R. K. (2021). A succinct review and analysis of drivers and impacts of agricultural land transformations in Asia. Land Use Policy, 102, 105238.
Rahimi Faizabad, F., Yazdanpanah, M., Gholamrezaei, S., & Ahmadvand, M. (2021). Analysis of Institutional Limitations of Groundwater Resources Management in Rural Areas of Lorestan Province Using Qualitative Method. Quarterly Journal of Rural Research, 12 (1), 109-94 (In Persian).
Rahmatabadi, E. (2005). Qualitative research in social sciences. Social Work Quarterly, 21, 94-86 (In Persian).
Rastegaripour, F., & Mahmoudi, F. (2021). Investigation of effective factors on land use change in agricultural lands in Torbat-e Heydarieh. Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development, 29 (115), 23-46 (In Persian).
Rezaei, Sh. (2018). Designing the revenue model of Iranian football clubs: with a grounded theory approach. Journal of Applied Research in Sports Management, 6 (23), 116-101 (In Persian).
Saadi, H., & Avatefi Akmal, F. (2018). Factors affecting land use change in rural areas of Hamadan city. Quarterly Journal of Space Economics and Rural Development, 7 (249), 226-211 (In Persian).
Sadaty, S. A., & Nazari, N. (2021). Impact of land use change on the effectiveness of traditional arable land systems and environmental in Miandorood, Mazandaran, Iran. Environmental Challenges, 68, 100165.
Sadeghloo, T., Sajasi Gheidari, H., Hosseini Kahnooj, S. R., & Yazdani Marvi Langari, Kh. (2019). Key drivers of agricultural land use change and its effects on rural areas (Case: Mianjam village in Torbat-e Jam city). Quarterly Journal of Space Economics and Rural Development, 8 (28): 72-45 (In Persian).
Salimi Matin, N., & Riahi, V. (2021). Analysis of factors affecting land use developments in rural areas of the city Savjabalagh. Journal of Geography and Human Relations, 3(4), 299-313 (In Persian).
Santiphop, T., Shrestha, R. P., & Hazarika, M. K. (2012). An analysis of factors affecting agricultural land use patterns and livelihood strategies of farm households in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. Journal of Land Use Science, 7(3), 331-348.
Savari, M., & Asadi, Z. (2020). Identifying the factors affecting the behavior of rural women to prevent changes in forest land use in Lorestan province. Quarterly Journal of Natural Environment, Natural Resources of Iran, 73 (2), 326-313 (In Persian).
Savari, M., Damaneh, H. E., & Damaneh, H. E. (2023). Effective factors to increase rural households' resilience under drought conditions in Iran. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 90, 103644.
Seddiqi, S., Darban Astaneh, A. R., & Rezvani, M. R. (2017). Investigation of physical and political-legal factors of land use changes in Mahmudabad city. Spatial Planning Quarterly, 7 (2): 58-39 (In Persian).
Shayestehmand, M., Hayati, B., & Haghjoo, M. (2019). Factors affecting agricultural land use change in Tabriz. Quarterly Journal of Agricultural Knowledge and Sustainable Production, 29 (1), 249-237 (In Persian).
Straus, A., & Corbin, J. (2008). Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory, Third Edition, Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Sun, Q., Qi, W., & Yu, X. (2021). Impacts of land use change on ecosystem services in the intensive agricultural area of North China based on Multi-scenario analysis. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 60(1), 1703-1716.
Tahmasebi, T., Karami, E., & Keshavarz, M. (2020). Agricultural land use change under climate variability and change: Drivers and impacts. Journal of Arid Environments, 180, 104202.
Tajeri Moghadam, M., Raheli, H., Zarifian, Sh., & Yazdanpanah, M. (2021). The discovery of the barriers of agricultural water conservation behavior and related factors: Using a grounded theory approach (the case of Neyshabur Plain in Khorasan Razavi Province). Iranian Journal of Economic Research and Agricultural Development, 2-52 (2), 308-287 (In Persian).
Teklay, A., Dile, Y. T., Asfaw, D. H., Bayabil, H. K., & Sisay, K. (2021). Impacts of Climate and Land Use Change on Hydrological Response in Gumara Watershed, Ethiopia. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 21(2), 315-332.
Tu, H. M., & Chen, H. M. (2020). From deforestation to afforestation: Effect of slopeland use policies on land use/cover change in Taiwan. Land Use Policy, 99, 105038.
Wu, H., Lin, A., Xing, X., Song, D., & Li, Y. (2021). Identifying core driving factors of urban land use change from global land cover products and POI data using the random forest method. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 103, 102475.
Yaftian, N. (2019). Identifying a model for the creative activities of mathematics students: A qualitative research. Journal of Curriculum Research (Iranian Curriculum Studies Association). 8 (16), 198-172 (In Persian).
Yazdanpanah, M., & Rahimi Faizabad, F. (2019). Reasons for the Failure of Agricultural Extension Using Grounded Theory (Case Study: Lorestan Agricultural Jihad). Iranian Journal of Agricultural Economics and Development Research, 50 (3), 575-549 (In Persian).
Yazdanpanah, M., Mirzaei, A., Zobeydi, T., Savari Mombeyni, A., & Homayoun, S, K. (2021). Evaluating the Effects of Socio-economic and Psychological Characteristics on the Adoption of Adaptive Behaviors to Water Deficit. Journal of Agricultural Economics Research. 13 (3): 1-17 (In Persian).
Zhang, X., Song, W., Lang, Y., Feng, X., Yuan, Q., & Wang, J. (2020). Land use changes in the coastal zone of China’s Hebei Province and the corresponding impacts on habitat quality. Land Use Policy, 99, 104957.
Zhu, G., Qiu, D., Zhang, Z., Sang, L., Liu, Y., Wang, L., ... & Wan, Q. (2021). Land-use changes lead to a decrease in carbon storage in arid region, China. Ecological Indicators, 127, 107770.
Zoghi, M., Safaei, A., & Malek Mohammadi, B. (2014). Guidelines for Game Theory in Land Use Change Conflict Analysis (Case Study: Lands in Darabad neighborhood of Tehran). Journal of Urban Planning Geography Research, 2 (3), 407-391 (In Persian).