Evaluation of Rice Production Sustainability Using Multi Criteria Decision Making Methods: The case of Rezvanshahr County

Rice production considered as the base of agricultural economy in Gilan province. In this province, more than 180 thousand rice farmers utilize more than 200 thousand hectares of fertile lands, each year. Gilan province with 86.31% of the area under rice cultivation has a major role in national food security. Rezvanshahr has remarkable contributions in respect to agricultural production, especially rice in this province. Present article focuses on evaluating and assessing the sustainability of rice farming in this county, given the importance of soil and water resources in sustainable agriculture and due to the scarce agricultural water resources, particularly for rice production. The study population has consisted of rice farmers. Data were collected from primary and secondary references and connect to related organizations Research variables include dimensions of soil and water resources utilization and its sustainability in rice farming around the region. Data processed by applying multi-criteria decision analysis methods in several stages to provide appropriate indicators for final analysis. Results indicate regional differences in relation to the sustainability of rice farming in the region, so the rural districts with rice fields, including Khoshabar, Gildoulab and Dinachal, placed in sustainable, quasi sustainable and unsustainable situations, respectively. More analysis of final indicators showed greater variability and regional differences with regard to the sustainability of rice farming and utilization of the fundamental soil and water resources in the region.