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Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2025, Vol. 17 Issue (5): 664-679    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-025-0079-6    
Research article     
Improving the livelihoods of local communities in degraded desert regions through afforestation with Moringa peregrina trees to combat desertification
Ghasem GHOOHESTANI1, Masoumeh SALEHI MOURKANI1, Salman ZARE1,2,*(), Hamed RAFIE3, Emad A FARAHAT4, Farhad SARDARI5, Ali ASADI6
1Department of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Region, Natural Resources Faculty, University of Tehran, Karaj 31585-3314, Iran
2Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
3Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Development, University of Tehran, Karaj 31585-3314, Iran
4Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Cairo 11795, Egypt
5Supreme Forest Council of the Iran's Natural Resources and Watershed Management Organization, Tehran 11369, Iran
6Science and Research Branch, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Food Industries, Islamic Azad University, Tehran 11369, Iran
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Abstract  

Climate change and human activities have led to desertification and decreased land productivity, significantly affecting human livelihoods in desert regions. Identifying suitable areas for cultivating economic and native plants based on ecological capacity, biological restoration, and risk management can be valuable tools for combating desertification. In this study, we identified suitable areas for the growth of economic and medicinal Moringa peregrina trees in desert regions of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southern Iran, using library research and field methods. We also assessed the economic involvement of local communities in areas under different topographic conditions (namely flat area, undulating area, rolling area, moderately sloping area, and steep area) in the study area. Financial indicators such as the net present value (NPV), benefit-cost ratio (BCR), internal rate of return (IRR), and return on investment (ROI) were calculated for areas under various topographic conditions in the study area. The rolling area with results of NPV (6142.75 USD), IRR (103.38), BCR (5.38), and ROI (in the 3rd year) was the best region for investing and cultivating M. peregrina. The minimum economic level varied from 0.80 hm2 in the flat area to 21.60 hm2 in the steep area. Also, approximately 5,314,629.51 hm2 of desert lands in the study area were deemed suitable for M. peregrina cultivation, benefiting around 1,743,246 households in the study area. Cultivating M. peregrina in southern Iran can positively affect local communities and help preserve land from erosion. Our study will provide theoretical support for planting native species in other degraded desert regions to enhance ecosystem services and the well-being of indigenous populations.

Key words： desert afforestation      Moringa peregrina      CRITIC method      minimum economic level      local communities      degraded desert regions     
Received: 21 July 2024      Published: 31 May 2025
Corresponding Authors: *Salman ZARE (E-mail: zaresalman@ut.ac.ir)
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Ghasem GHOOHESTANI
Masoumeh SALEHI MOURKANI
Salman ZARE
Hamed RAFIE
Emad A FARAHAT
Farhad SARDARI
Ali ASADI
Cite this article:

Ghasem GHOOHESTANI, Masoumeh SALEHI MOURKANI, Salman ZARE, Hamed RAFIE, Emad A FARAHAT, Farhad SARDARI, Ali ASADI. Improving the livelihoods of local communities in degraded desert regions through afforestation with Moringa peregrina trees to combat desertification. Journal of Arid Land, 2025, 17(5): 664-679.

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http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-025-0079-6     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2025/V17/I5/664

Fig. 1 Overview of the study area and distribution of 56 occurrence points for Moringa peregrina
Parameter type Time Indicator Range Data source
Climate 1999-
2019		 Maximum temperature
(°C)		 30.0-35.0 (monthly average) Presence points
Minimum temperature
(°C)		 17.0-21.0 (monthly average) Presence points
Precipitation (mm) 120.0-200.0 (annual average) Kenshloo et al. (2012); Farahat and Refaat (2021); Hegazy et al. (2008); presence points
Wind speed (m/s) 2.5-3.5 Presence points
Relative humidity (%) 20.0-50.0 (monthly average) Presence points
Evapotranspiration
(mm)		 270.0-330.0 (monthly average) Kenshloo et al. (2012); presence
points
Soil 2020 Soil texture loam-sand and clay-sandy loam Presence points
Soil pH 6.9-8.1 Kenshloo et al. (2012)
Soil classification Stony lands; Entisols and Aridisols Presence points
Geology 2020 Geological formation Eocene flysch, shale, Marl, sandstone,
conglomerate, and limestone		 Kenshloo et al. (2012); presence
points
Land use 2020 land use type Various land use types were recorded
including lands with poor vegetation cover and no vegetation, rocky lands, and forests.		 Presence points
Topography 2020 Elevation (m) 200-800 Kenshloo et al. (2012); Farahat and Refaat (2021); presence points
Aspect Mostly in the southern direction Presence points
Slope (%) 0.0-30.0 Presence points
Table 1 Ranges of effective parameters for natural growth of Moringa perigna
Fig. 2 Flow chart of the study
Layer type Layer Amount of information Final weight
Aspect 4.70 0.07
Topography Height 6.47 0.10
Slope 4.38 0.06
Climate Evapotranspiration 6.64 0.10
Wind speed 5.72 0.08
Precipitation 5.09 0.08
Maximum temperature 4.96 0.07
Minimum temperature 5.20 0.08
Relative humidity 4.66 0.07
Geology Geological formation 3.75 0.06
Land use Land use type 3.44 0.05
Soil texture 4.26 0.06
Soil Soil classification 4.25 0.06
Soil pH 3.98 0.06
Table 2 Weights of criteria used to identify suitable areas for the cultivation of M. peregrina
Topographic condition Definition Area proportion (%)
Flat area Area with slope of 0%-2% 33
Undulating area Area with slope of 2%-8% 36
Rolling area Area with slope of 8%-15% 14
Moderately sloping area Area with slope of 15%-30% 11
Steep area Area with slope of 30%-60% 6
Table 3 Definitions and area proportions of different topographic conditions in the study area
Fig. 3 Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves based on model test points (a) and model training points (b) for M. peregrina. AUC, area under the curve. The red curve represents the mean response.
Fig. 4 Spatial distribution of four classes of suitable areas for M. peregrina growth
Topographic condition Projected economic
area (hm2)		 Benefits of the project
Time Product performance (kg/hm2) Income
)USD(		 Cost
)USD)		 Benefit
)USD)
Flat area 2.00 1st year - 0.00 1797.00 -1797.00
2nd year - 0.00 760.89 -760.89
3rd year 652.50 2584.16 622.05 1962.10
4th year onwards 652.50 2584.16 604.46 1979.88
Undulating area 5.40 1st year - 0.00 1909.87 -1909.87
2nd year - 0.00 974.69 -974.69
3rd year 240.00 2566.33 752.80 1813.52
4th year onwards 240.00 2566.33 731.41 1834.92
Rolling area 11.20 1st year - 0.00 997.75 -997.75
2nd year - 0.00 203.65 -203.65
3rd year 116.25 2578.21 282.10 2296.11
4th year onwards 116.25 2578.21 257.54 2320.67
Moderately
sloping area		 27.70 1st year - 0.00 1655.81 1655.81
2nd year - 0.00 330.99 -330.99
3rd year 46.78 2566.33 406.67 2159.66
Fourth year onwards 46.78 2566.33 372.44 2193.89
Steep area 54.00 1st year - 0.00 1900.00 -1900.00
2nd year - 0.00 490.51 -490.51
3rd year 24.00 2566.33 522.21 2044.12
4th year onwards 24.00 2566.33 479.40 2086.91
Table 4 Assumptions and benefits of the M. peregrina cultivation project for areas under different topographic conditions in the study area
Topographic condition NPV (USD) IRR BCR ROI
Flat area 3826.74 55.50 2.43 In the 5th year
Undulating area 3083.80 48.05 2.05 In the 5th year
Rolling area 6142.75 103.38 5.38 In the 3rd year
Moderately sloping area 4976.75 69.48 3.47 In the 4th year
Steep area 4261.24 58.96 2.79 In the 4th year
Table 5 Calculation of financial evaluation indicators for areas under different topographic conditions in the study area
Fig. 5 Annual changes of net present value (NPV) from the M. peregrina cultivation project from 2021 to 2041 in areas under different topographic conditions
Fig. 6 Area proportions of four habitat suitability classes in areas under different topographic conditions
Number of households Minimum economic level (hm2) Area proportion of land susceptible to priority cultivation (%) Area of land susceptible to priority cultivation (hm2) Topographic condition
66,160 0.80 10 535,328.19 Flat area
712,021 3.24 43 2,306,948.04 Undulating area
265,837 4.48 22 1,190,950.29 Rolling area
81,339 11.08 18 959,801.40 Moderately sloping
area
14,888 21.60 6 321,601.59 Steep area
1,743,246 - 100 5,314,629.51 Total
Table 6 Benefits of M. peregrina cultivation in areas under different topographic conditions
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