An Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Use of Information Resources and Communication Channels by ranchers to participate in rangelands rehabilitation and restoration projects (Dehgolan Township)

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors affecting the use of information resources and communication channels by the Dehgoln Township ranchers to participate in rangelands rehabilitation and restoration projects. The study consisted of all ranchers (N=80) in the Dehgolan county, located in Kurdistan Province, from among whom 68 ranchers were selected through random sampling technique. A questionnaire was designed and employed to gather the required data. A panel of selected experts verified the questionnaire's content validity. The scale of use of information resources and communication channels was proved to be reliable as Cronbach Alpha coefficient was estimated as equal to 0.7. The results of descriptive statistics revealed that a majority of the ranchers have been illiterated. Also, it was revealed that a majority of the ranchers have utilized information resources and communication channels at a low level. The results of regression analysis finally revealed that the three variables of income, educational level and family size, explained about 54% variances of the dependent variable.