An Evaluation of the Process of National Lands Transference in Guilan Province between 1991 and 2001

Abstract:Guilan province is one of the important agricultural and natural poles of Iran with 565,000 acres of forest, 224,000 acres of grassland and 230,000 acres of agricultural areas. Regarding the actual and potential capabilities of the province, and the need to maintain and revive forest and pasture areas, the responsibility of Guilan Department of Natural Resources as custodian for the preservation, restoration and utilization of national and natural lands has substantially increased. Therefore, it is necessary to set and execute firmer terms and conditions about transferring the lands in the province. The trustee executive has decided to evaluate the achievement of privatization objectives and its social-economic effects to assess the implementation of the predicted primary objectives. Thus, the present study was carried out as a research priority for Guilan Department of Natural Resources. According to statistics from Guilan Department of Natural Resources and Guilan Department of Land Affairs till 2009, about 600 cases of transference, under articles 31 and 32, have been made for activities in domains like livestock and poultry, fisheries and aquaculture, agriculture, and industry in the province. From the total cases of transference from 1991 to 2001, 140 cases of land transference have been done which the totality of it was analyzed as the statistical society of this research through a census. After regular visits and contacts, 93 of the questionnaires were completed and sent back. We used descriptive and analytical methods to analyze the research data. Results show that these cases of transference have been effective in improving revenues, production, employment and the living standards of farmers.