Barriers to participation of local communities in the project of cultivation of medicinal plants on sloping lands of Chehel Chay watershed in Minoodasht County

The development of the cultivation of medicinal plants in sloping lands based on public participation has an important role in improving land productivity, employment status, and livelihood of communities. The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers to the participation of local communities in the project of cultivation of medicinal plants in the sloping lands of Chehel Chay watershed in Minoodasht County. The research was descriptive and survey. The statistical population was 350 people from local communities living in the watershed. Using Krejcie and Morgan's table and random sampling method with assignment, 184 of them were selected as the research sample. The data collection tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was obtained by calculating Cronbach's alpha at the rates of 0.74, 0.79, and 0.89 for social, economic, and organizational barriers, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS19 software. The results of the Spearman test showed a positive and significant relationship between organizational barriers to participation with the variables of the number of years of employment in agriculture, hours of listening to the radio and watching TV during the day, and negative and significant relationship with variables of the number of respondents traveling to the city per month, the relationship between respondents and extension worker per month and the number of medicinal plants cultivated by respondents. Also, the results of the Friedman test showed the importance of organizational barriers in the non-participation of respondents in the project of cultivation of medicinal plants. It is recommended to pay attention to teaching the cultivation of medicinal plants to local communities, more communication, and interaction of extension workers with them, providing inputs and creating a suitable market for medicinal plants.