Consequences of Cash-rent Farming in Kermanshah’s Mahidasht: Marshallian versus Cheungian Perspectives

Cash-rent farming has developed during recent years in Iran; this phenomenon has had a greater impact especially in fertile regions with the abundant sources of water and soil. Meanwhile, Kermanshah province ranks as one of the agricultural centers in the country that is no exception when it comes to having fertile lands. During recent years, the farmers of Mahidasht district in Kermanshah County have rented their agricultural lands. So, the aim of the present qualitative study is to investigate the consequences of this phenomenon in Mahidasht district. For this purpose, the event tree analysis technique (ETA) was used. The required data was gathered through singular unstructured in-depth interviews, concentrated groups, group discussion with 32 of district landlords, and direct observation. Generally, the results showed that the development of the cash-rent farming phenomenon has two groups of consequences in the studied district: environmental and sociocultural consequences. The environmental and sociocultural problems include changes in the soil structure and pattern, changes in the quality and quantity of water sources, the incidence of plant pests and diseases, increase in the migration from rural areas to towns, social difficulties in rural areas and increase in the legal implications between landlords and tenants. Finally, it should be noted that our findings support the Marshallian perspective.