The Role of Natural Factors in Stability of Rural Settlements (Case Study: Sabzevar County)
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Geography and Environmental Planning, 21th Year, vol. 40, No.4, Winter 2011 Received: 15/4/1388 Accepted: 31/1/1389 PP: 89-104 The role of natural factors in stability of rural settlements (case study: Sabzevar county) A. A. Anabstani Assistant Professor of Geography and Urban Planning, University of Ferdosi Mashhad, Iran, Abstract Development of human settlements, especially rural settlements has been largely dependent on ecological factors like suitable soil and water. Sabzevar region, enjoying all of these facilities, has Langley been a major human population center in eastern Iran. The study results show that, there is a Significant relationship between ecological factors like situation, water and farming lands and population changes as an index of rural population stability in 1966-2006, the Correlation between village Situation and annual growth rate was 0.216. Considering the study results, the following tasks are recommended to sustain the rural residency: efficient utilization of soil and water resources, supporting the rural economy, management of farmlands, deciding the farming patterns, correction of water consumption method. Key words: rural population, situation, slope, altitude, water, farmland Introdacuction largely been restricted to areas which From a long time ago, man has been possess (positive) environmental trying to take up residence in places where prerequisites. Suitable water, Soil, he could make maximum use of natural Vegetation and climate are of ecological environment. Establishment of human factors and security, suitable stand for settlements in river banks, delta beds and defense against invaders, ethnic and etc, along the history verifies this claim. cultural relations, income sources and etc, Man has always been trying to organize are of effective socio-economical factors his environment and make maximum use in development of rural settlements in of the facilities around; nevertheless, spatial territories. Nevertheless, any of the following changes in industry, increasing above-mentioned factors whether human speed and removal of distances, or ecological, may undergo radical development of communications and etc, changes in the course of location planning has been introduced as a time, so that one factor may lose science which investigates the issues of importance and one factor may gain locating and efficient location not only for importance. It is also possible that new natural factors but for inter-related and necessities make changes and re- integrated social, economical and physic organization of these factors inevitable systems as well. Undoubtedly, (Anabestani: 2008). development of rural settlements has Corresponding Author: Tel: +98 915 571 9016 E-mail: [email protected] 90 Geography and Environmental Planning, 21th Year, vol. 40, No.4, Winter 2011 Badri and Qanbari (2005) in their distribution of settlements. Besides natural evaluation of the environmental potentials factors related with human factors, in rural development in Qale – Chai river functional success also affects basin of Ajab-Shir showed that the study development of rural settlements. area had suitable environmental Although functional success is dependent potentialities for rural development. In this on natural success, it also includes local, area, reliefs and geomorphological regional and trans-regional situation. properties of land, in comparison to other Selahi Isfahani (2004) in his investigation projects, had less significant role in of the role of water and irrigation in number and distribution of tourist resort sustainable rural development in the rural projects. In utilization of natural potentials area of Hakimabad – Akhtarabad showed in parts of the study area, natural that between natural and social capacities had not been observed and were environmental properties and water and exploited, while in other parts, despite irrigation problems aiming to promote potentials for tourism and conversion rural living conditions a current industries, they were not properly utilized. predominates that is striving to reach Mahdavi, et al., (2001) in their sustainable rural development. The results investigation of the role of natural of this study show that inappropriate geographical factors in population recognition of rural people's needs and not instability and rural migration in Zanjan allowing them especially women to came to this conclusion that natural participate in rural development are the potential factors like topographical primary issues. Furthermore, correction of features, slop, temperature, rain and land irrigation system has got top priority in potentials have had great effect in water and irrigation problems. migration rate and villages being deserted. A large part of country's population still On the other hand, inability of the rural lives in rural areas while they are provided people (for a variety of reasons) in with the least facilities compared to others. controlling the natural events like, flood, Considering the process which has earthquake, landslide and soil erosion has emptied the villages of their population pave the way for migration and abanding and the importance of sustainability of the rural resides, which would make the rural settlements this study tries to villages empty of population. investigate the role of ecological factors, Este'laji and Ghadiri Ma'sum (2004) in including situation, altitude, water and their investigation of the role of farm lands on the continuation of rural geographical factors in rural residence social life, so that the study results could development, emphasizing on used be used as a basis for future planning and quantitative method, in Vilkaij region of organization in Sabzevar rural area and Namin county showed that analysis of other areas too. correlation coefficient and regression analysis of the study variants and Materials and Methods distribution of residences reveal that there Study area is a direct and significant correlation Sabzevar is a city in the Khorasn between land type and residence Razavi province in northeast of Islamic The role of natural factors in stability of rural settlements … 91 republic of Iran. Sabzevar County borders distribution. Therefore, this study tries to Quchan, Esfaraein (Northern Khorasan find the answer to previous question and province), and Jovein and Joghatay discover the relationship between counties to the north, Neyshabur and ecological factors, annual population Takhte – jolgheh to the east, and Kashmar growth rate and rural population changes to the south east, and Bardasakan to the in the last four decades in the study area. south, and Shahrud (Sunman province) to In other words, this study has constructed the west. Sabzevar County is located in the hypothesis that, there is a significant latitude of 35°, 27' to 36°, 52', in north and relationship between ecological factors longitude of 56°, 43', 30'' to 58°, 16' in and sustainable rural population. east, and its area is approximately 14,328 square kilometers which equals to 12.3 Spatial distribution of the villages percent of the Khorasan – Razavi across the Sabzevar County Province, which makes it the largest Up to 1937, Sabzevar was one of the county of this province. Sabzevar is the eighteen counties of the khorasan capital City of Sabzevar County. This province, and included Qasbeh block county has 295 inhabited villages (Capital of Sabzevar County). Khamse according to 2006 national census kohMish, kah, Bashtin, Mazinan, Barakoh, (Khorasan Razavi Governor, 2008). Karrab, Tabas, Takab, Shamkan, RabeShamat, jovein, Baam and Safiabad. Method Local division’s law was passed in 1937, This study was conducted in descriptive and Sabzevar County included 23 – analytical method. Parts of the data were Dehestan2 and Humeh, Safiabad, Joghatay collected using field studies, Sheshtamad and Davarzan District. In questionnaires and interviews, 1950, Baam & Safiabad was separated Nevertheless parts of the study data like from Sabzevar and joined to Esfaraein. conceptual frame works, documents and After that Sabzevar was the capital of the census findings were obtained through county and included joghatay, Davarzan, library research. In the study area all the sheshtamad and Humeh Districts. No villages which had ten or more than ten changes were implemented on the habited households were selected. The divisions of Sabzevar County up until questionnaires were filled out. Through the execution of local division low. In 1985, information obtained from 253 Islamic after the execution of article 2 and 3 of the council and Dehyaries1. These 253 villages mentioned law and separation and had a population of 122600. Having attachment of some villages of Neyshabur collected the data, we arranged and in the surrounding area of Sabzevar, 23 analyzed them in ArcGIS and SPSS and Dehestan were established. These etc. After that we came to data analysis. divisions were again changed and two The primary question in this study is that other Dehestan of Robatjaz and Dasturan whether natural factors have any effect on were added to Sabzevar, the three new sustainability of rural residence Districts (Bakhsh) of Jovein, Rudab and 1 - Municipality for rural settlement 2 - Rural agglomeration 92 Geography and Environmental Planning, 21th Year, vol. 40, No.4, Winter 2011 Khushab were added to this County's than ten households. They included 32,035 Districts. In 2007, Jovein and Joghatay households which comprise 99.7 percent were separated and each was raised as a of county's rural population.