Understanding the Causes of Agreement or Disagreement of Farmers to participate in Land Consolidation Projects, Case Study: Some Villages of Bukan City

Land consolidation in agricultural sector is one of the most fundamental policies. It is not expected to solve many problems without taking the agricultural mechanization and efficiency in production into account. Therefore، the land consolidation projects are one way to achieve agricultural development and sustainable agricultural development which plays an important role in achieving this. The main problem that this research is seeking to achieve is to answer this question that whether the farmers didn’t have tendency for participation or Jihad experts didn’t perform projects with appropriate planning. If farmers disagree with performance project، what was the cause of their disagreement? The purpose of this research is to find the reasons and factors that serve as barriers to participate in land consolidation projects. Finding the reasons make us able to discover the causes of this issue and present the solutions to reduce the factors that negatively affect their tendency to participate in the projects. The sample villages of the city of Boukan as the representatives for the statistical population of the city are Abdullah Tapasy، Gale Rasoul and Mallalar Villages. To explore and to explain the problems the qualitative methods (focus groups، interviews or focus) were used in this study.

Focus group interview is the kind of interview with an interaction approach based on interview with individuals on special subjects- provided by researcher- in one free and one controlled space by the researcher. This method is also used as reaching to common mind of individuals. Main sampling on qualitative research is based on criterion sampling. In this study، we also have selected three sample villages (in every village we have one opposite and opponent group with these projects)، six groups of total delegation of the villages with criterion-based sampling that can be generalized to all people of the village (in terms of socio- economic situation، age، and etc.). Each of them was separately in one session group interview. The number of these groups was changeable from seven to ten. On this basis، during these interviews after introduction، the researchers carried interviews to provide three total questions of essence and the rate of awareness of the project. Why you are opponent and opposite with these projects? And what methods and strategies are presented to promote the participation in land consolidation projects specially and other developmental projects generally?

The main reason for the disagreement between the opposite groups of the villages were unimportant implementation، quality of program implementation and enforcement without end، the similar quality، the sense of belonging، a high level of distrust، and initiation of an interest in personal property family، lack of awareness due to lack of information، the sense of powerlessness and dissatisfaction. The main reason for the participants in the interviews were awareness of the benefits of cost reduction and increase in the revenue، soil and water management، giving incentives، increased land values​​، better control on the monitoring of the ground and etc. It can be said that the most important effect of land consolidation is increase in the performance، due to reasonable cultivation system. It can also designate farms to other crops by using consolidation planning in the region according to expertise due to implementation of consolidation cultivation method after primary cultivation and harvesting. Hence، it is hopeful to production in agriculture and finally to rural development and self- sufficiency in production. Therefore، more attention of the politicians can be very effective to encourage farmers in traditional land consolidation and intervene among them in the projects.

Given the mentioned results we provide strategies that solved these problems in both micro and macro levels. Some of the strategies are: 1- Awareness of the farmers: in order to increase information and awareness of the farmers، it is required to give more attention to public relation section of relevant organization، promotion and capable promotion by educational and promotional classes، exposing successful methods in other countries even in the region and local media in micro and macro framework planning. Besides، two of these items، variable education of farmers and attraction of the adolescent educated generation in this field can play an effective role. 2- In view of farmers، People distrust to governmental agents and organizations is due to weak performance of government in field of project performance and other duties pertaining to the villager affairs. Thus، it is necessary for trust-building to government for performance of project for more than one time. It has correct evaluation to study farmer life condition in relevant to unemployment situation، employment opportunities and correct planning of lands with farmer participant، having systematic vision، and attention to all aspects of distribution and consolidation of land. 3- Integrative and systematic planning is one of the most important factors to increase people satisfaction and their participation in land consolidation projects. Land consolidation should be putted in total policies of rural development and agriculture as participation action and from context of society. It requires creation of capable environment to provide active participants of all stakeholders. This is conducted in such an integrative and process attitude and the environmental situation that the rural and agricultural development becomes visible. 4- In view of the opponents of land consolidation projects، one of the most important factors in attracting villagers participation in development plants- such as land consolidation- is using of rural trustee in the village. The trustees، for example، are sheriff، the council of village، mosque trustee، educated persons and etc.، because the people have authority among villagers and the rural community as well as they can have important and good role in solving family problems and also the problems pertaining to lands among people and organization. Thus، relevant organizations can start these projects primarily from the lands of these people.