Promoting cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants for natural resource management and livelihood enhancement in Iran

Abstract

Indiscriminate harvest of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) from their natural habitats affects availability and endangers existence of these plants. Therefore, approaches for promoting cultivation must be sought for the maintenance of these plants and the improvement of livelihood in local communities. Understanding factors affecting cultivation of MAPs is of paramount importance, particularly in developing countries, but research on this issue is scarce. This study aimed at identifying and prioritizing driving and inhibiting factors affecting cultivation of MAPs in Rasht, Iran, using the Delphi method. Multiple-response techniques were used to analyze the content (effective factors), using properly designed questionnaires. Data were analyzed using conventional techniques such as means, variation ratios, Shannon entropy, and triangular fuzzy numbers. Crucial factors promoting the cultivation of MAPs in the region were: (1) the identification of important native medicinal species compatible with the ecological conditions of the province, (2) the establishment of facilities for processing MAPs, and (3) providing experimental spaces for the domestication of wild medicinal species. On the other hand, the most important factors inhibiting the cultivation of these plants in the region were: (1) the lack of information that would motivate cultivation of medicinal plants, (2) the lack of herbal medicine companies in the province area, and (3) the lack of coordination between research centers and environment agencies in the context of decision making. Values of Kendall’s W were found to be 0.203 for the driving factors and 0.219 for the inhibiting factors, implying agreement of the experts, so that an additional round of Delphi was not required. Findings shed light on factors that could help policy-makers at national and international level to promote the cultivation of MAPs, thus linking regular quantity of MAPs for the pharmaceutical industry and ensuring livelihood and socioeconomic development of the local communities as well as conservation of the natural resource base.