Investigating the Causes of Expansion of Saffron Cultivation in Temperate Mountain Areas of Golestan Province (Case Study: Vamenan Village)

One of the Iran's agricultural problems is the decrease in native products. The objective of this research is to study the reasons for cultivating saffron in the temperate mountainous regions of the Golestan province. Accordingly, the type of research is both applied and developmental and its methodology is descriptive-analytical. The field of research includes the farms of Vamnan village in the Azadshahr County. Its statistical society is 110 farmers who are experienced in saffron cultivation. Data was collected from the Census carried out through questionnaires, and was analyzed and interpreted by SPSS. The results have shown that, in comparison to other local products, saffron is more climatically resistant, in so far as 82.1% of farmers, in their prioritizations to cultivate agricultural products, have named saffron as the first one. This rate is usually low among other products. From the income indicator perspective, saffron cultivation income is more than the income from cultivation of other local products. To compare, saffron income is (92,372 thousand Rials), while for potatoes it is (5983 thousand Rials) and for cereals it is (9617.2 thousand Riyals). In addition, there is a meaningful relationship of 99% between people’s interest to grow saffron and its economic conditions on the one hand and physiological features on the other hand. Lack of the necessary infrastructure and markets in the region, lack of drying machines, and shortage of labor are stated as the greatest obstacles to the development of saffron in the area. Therefore, obstacles in the development of saffron in the region are essential.