Cost-benefit analysis of various methods of exploitation of local communities in summer rangelands of Hezar-Jerib, Behshahr

Rangelands provides a wide range of products and services to local communities. In the discussion of rangeland management, it is necessary to note that the monoculture economy is fragile. As long as only attention is paid to rangeland forage for livestock feeding, the users' economy will be very shaky and fragile. Therefore, increasing income, economic stability of rangeland users, creating employment, and sustainable development require multipurpose management and utilization of existing resources. The present research evaluates the relative advantage of various exploitation methods of local communities in the summer rangelands of Hazarjarib Behshahr during 2018-2019. 

In terms of purpose, the research is applied, and regarding the research method, it is classified as descriptive-survey research. It is also a quantitative study, given the nature of the data. The statistical population included all users of the customary summer rangelands of Boznesam, Tirperu, Hashtpader, Mianband, Hajikord, Sefidkhani, Siahkhani, Zereshki, and Shaharam. The research tool is a researcher-made questionnaire whose face validity was confirmed by a panel of experts. Its reliability was calculated between 0.78 and 0.86 for different components based on Cronbach's Alpha formula. Using the census method, 85 people were distributed. After collecting the data and analyzing the questionnaires, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, T-test, and LSD were applied in SPSS software version 24 to answer the research hypotheses. Therefore, a questionnaire was developed in several sections. The first part was related to demographic information, and the second was related to the cost and income of each of the main rangeland users, including animal husbandry, beekeeping, agronomy, medicinal plants, and integrated (multi-purpose) operations. The validity of the questionnaire content was determined using the formal validation method and consulting experts. The priority of usefulness of single subsistence activities and other multi-purpose exploitations was determined using analysis of the income-cost ratio (B/C). 

The results showed that the highest and lowest annual net income from livestock and medicinal plant activities was estimated at 191.1 and 2.3 million Tomans per household (user), respectively. The highest and lowest net profits in multi-activity were estimated at 29.7 and 6.9 million Tomans per household (user), respectively, related to the activities of agronomy-livestock-medicinal plants and agronomy-medicinal plants. The ratio of B/C of all livelihood activities is more than one and economical. In single livelihood activities, beekeeping, with a ratio of 3.7, and multiple livelihoods, agronomy-medicinal plants, with a ratio of 3.1, have the highest income generated about the share of livelihood resources compared to other exploitations. The results showed that livelihood diversity could generate more income for users. The analysis of the annual net income share of mono-livelihood and multi-livelihood operations as a percentage of the total income of the livelihood resources of the operators in the region showed that in the case of optimal use and better management of animal husbandry along with the sub-operations of beekeeping, medicinal plants, and agronomy can provide good income and employment among people. Statistics have rejected the assumption that single-subsistence and multi-subsistence exploitations have the same income. 

Beekeeping and agronomy are among the potential exploitations of the studied rangelands. These exploitations can be combined with livestock farming to compensate for livestock farming shortcomings, both to prevent livestock pressure on rangelands and to increase local communities' income. Therefore, by implementing combined rangeland projects, it is possible to maintain and restore rangelands and increase income for local beneficiaries. Because for many years, the use of rangelands in the study area has been single-purpose and only for providing animal fodder, multi-purpose use according to the capacities of each rangeland can bring many benefits to the users. Also, the high benefit-to-cost ratio of beekeeping can be a strategy for the employment of more people in the region after animal husbandry, to prevent pressure on the rangelands by animal husbandry, and to increase the income of local communities.