Balancing Livestock with Grazing Capacity (BLGC): A New Approach in Sustainable Management of Rangelands in Iran

ABSTRACT

Rangelands cover about 54 percent of total land in Iran. In spite of their very high importance, rangelands are degrading each year. The national plan of balancing livestock with grazing capacity (BLGC) is intended to aid in rangeland preservation and promotion. There are three main activities in the plan: (1) preparation and implementation of range-land projects, (2) exercise of management in the grazing of rangelands, and (3) conversion of low-yield rain-fed lands to fodder crop fields.

Two important objectives are followed in the process: (1) decreasing the number of rangeland users and (2) preventing an excess of livestock over rangeland capacity.

Diffusion of innovation theory has been employed in this study to describe how rangeland users would go about accepting the projects in the plan BLGC. The purpose of this study is to find out the role of BLGC plan attributes, individual user characteristics, and extension methods in acceptance of the plan. The collaborating population in the study comes from 15 provinces in Iran. The statistical population consisted of 119 range-land users. Spearman Test indicated a positive and meaningful correlation between BLGC attributes, extension methods, and the rate of BLGC plan adoption. Among BLGC plan-related attributes, relative advantage exhibits the most effect as indicated by results obtained from regression analysis. From among individual characteristics, education, and from among extension methods, symbolic ceremonies as well as contact with change agents and experts have been observed to be the most influential in the rate of BLGC plan adoption.

KEYWORDS:

• Acceptance
• balancing livestock with grazing capacity (BLGC)
• extension methods
• rangeland users
• user characteristics