درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose: In this research, we aimed to identify the pattern of cooperative relations among the Pistachio producers in Damankuh rural district in Damghan. The social capital among the producers was also evaluated. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, the cooperative relations and the social capital among the Pistachio producers in Mehmandoost, Zarrinabad and Hoseinabad Doolab, which are located in Damankooh in Damghan, were studied by applying social network analysis method. Thus, 66 people from Mehmandoost, 70 producers from Zarrinabad, and 74 farmers from Hosseinabad Dulab were studied. The relations which were studied included cooperation in exchanging farming tools, irrigation of Pistachio orchards, marketing and pest control. For analyzing these relations, we used network- level indicators of social network analysis including density, centralization, reciprocity, transitivity and Geodesic distance. These indicators were analyzed in the UCINET software. Finding: Results showed that the network macro-level indicators including density, centralization, reciprocity, transitivity and geodesic distance in studied villages were very low. This has caused problems for producers to cooperate with each other and threatens the stability of producers’ network and indicates cooperation among pistachio producers requires tremendous investment of both time and cost. Research limitations/implications: Problems like accessing farmers, distributing questionnaires among them and the long time needed in order to interview them were among the challenges faced in this research. Practical implications¬: In order to increase cooperation among the producers and social capital in their network it is suggested that farmers be instructed and informed by holding cooperative workshops, handling their problems in irrigation and pest control, running local cooperatives for supporting the farmers in the crop prices and paying attention to their demands. Originality/value: Given the importance of the studied area in the production of Pistachio, paying attention to cooperation and social capital among producers, can be a big step in using the fertility (potentiality) of this region to develop and improve the Pistachio production.

The unique geographical location and diversity of natural phenomena have led Iran to be recognized as the fifth country with a natural diversity in the world. However, despite the abundance of natural attraction, Iran’s ecotourism is faced with obstacles and challenges for attracting tourists. Among the various kinds of natural attractions, wetlands and preserved areas have a high potential for sustainable tourism development that can provide investment opportunities for public and private sector managers in tourism development and research programs. In this paper, attempts have been made to explore sustainable tourism development potential by identifying the ecosystem potentials of the Anzali Wetland, especially the presence of native and migratory birds in this area. The research uses a descriptive-analytical method that is based on library documents, the Internet websites, and a questionnaire. The SWOT model was used to analyze the hypotheses. It seems that the Anzali Wetland has the potential to attract tourists who come to visit migrating and local birds in most seasons. So, with proper planning and using the experience of developed countries, such as the Kushiro Wetland in Japan, we can develop ecotourism and also, we can make it a matter of culture to monitor and protect the environment as a shelter for local and migrating birds.