Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1
M.Sc. student of watershed management, Department of Nature engineering and medicinal plants, faculty of Agriculture, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
2
Associate professor, Department of Nature engineering and medicinal plants, faculty of Agriculture, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Nature engineering and medicinal plants, faculty of Agriculture, University of Torbat Heydarieh, Torbat Heydarieh, Iran
Abstract
In this study, the economic and social impacts of the watershed management projects in 6 rural watersheds of Rashtkhar County were evaluated. Rashtkhar County, with an area of 4360 square kilometers, is located in the south of Khorasan Razavi Province. Using the Cochran formula, the sample size was estimated to be 298 households. Sampling was carried out using a simple random method in 2023. The socio-economic impacts of natural resource projects were assessed with 60 questions of a Questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS20 software. The results showed that the highest and lowest scores of natural resource users in Rashtkhar on the effects of implementing watershed management projects were related to reducing annual financial losses from floods and reducing the cost of irrigated agriculture production, respectively, with an average of 4.08 and 1.53 and a standard deviation of 0.25 and 1.65.Factors influencing the assessment of the socio-economic impacts of natural resource projects were categorized into six components: welfare, education and awareness, participation and culture building, migration, direct income generation, and indirect benefits. The results showed that the socio-economic impacts of natural resource projects are higher and lower than other components in the components of participation and culture building with an average of 43, and migration with an average of 17, respectively. The correlation between education level and research components is positive and significant at the 1% level. Therefore, with increasing levels of education, the level of components affecting natural resource and watershed management projects such as welfare, education and awareness, participation and culture building, migration frome the village, direct income generation, and indirect benefits also increases. The relationship between the level of well-being and the impact of the education and awareness component in natural resource projects with the number of family members showed that large families had a more positive evaluation than small families at a significant level of 1%. These individuals also have a better evaluation of the effects of natural resource projects on direct and indirect income generation compared to small families. In small families, the level of participation and cultural development is more desirable than in large families, and these individuals have a lower tendency to migrate than in large-population families. According to the research results, it is recommended to use the capacities of local communities and stakeholders in the stages of study, location, implementation, and maintenance of plans and projects.
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