The Impacts of Atriplex Plantation from the Viewpoint of Stockholders

Abstract

Atriplex spp. (Atriplex canescens, A. lentiformis and A. halimus) plantation has been extensively used to reclaim rangeland in Iran for the past several decades. However, the impacts of this practice have been controversial. Due to the increasing adoption of this reclamation technique for degraded rangelands, it is important to investigate its impacts. The aim of this study was to investigate the impacts of rangeland reclamation practices from the viewpoints of stockholders in two winter rangelands in Golestan province. At first, information obtained from individual interviews was classified using content analysis. Then a questionnaire containing quintuple Likert, nominal and ordinal scale items as well as some open items was prepared and completed by stockholders. The number of samples was determined using the Cochran formula. Data were analyzed by SPSS using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney test. The results revealed that the rangelands, livestock, and forage production of Atriplex spp. play an important role in the life and livelihood of stockholders of both studied areas. Considering all investigated items, in the majority of cases the desired effects of Atriplex spp. plantation was observed. The results indicated that despite some differences, the stockholders are satisfied with Atriplex spp. plantation in both of the studied areas. More investigation on the effects of Atriplex spp. on the dairy and meat production was proposed.