The role of women in rural development : A cooperative development approach , a case study on Iran

This study aims at investigating the cooperative role of women in running the international program of Carbon Sequestration Project performed by United Nation Development Program (UNDP) in droughty and dessert region of Sarbisheh County – South Xorasan – Iran. Interviews and questionnaires taken from rural women of the related region make the methodology of the study in a descriptive-analytical fashion. The results indicate that this Project managed to enhance the socio-economical and cultural capabilities of women and cooperation toward regional development. This results in the improvement of human resource index and effects rural women independence, employment, management, and family income (per capita) rise based on their cooperation. Moreover, cooperation development pattern and its structure and functionality can be used in other areas of the world as an appropriate plan. Experience related to making use of women capabilities toward regional development programs can also be applied in other programs.


INTRODUCTION
Development is one of the basic global discussions whose nature is altered due to changes in human knowledge.In some areas of the world, the dispersed and semiNumadic characteristic of human settlements associated with traditional livelihoods remains almost un-changed (Lopez et al., 2013).The term of development as like of other scientific expressions incorporates complementary and active procedure.Many rural-development scholars and practitioners have touted the benefits of governance, particularly regional partnerships that straddle traditional administrative boundaries, as an alternative to government in rural ecoNumic development and problem solving (Lu and Jacobs, 2013).As one of the main issues of development and programming discussions, sustainable development comes out of variable arguments.Sustainable development mostly relies on civil society focusing on ecological relationships, the spirit of social cooperation, and homogeneity of earthly and spiritual needs in order to reach development (Sarrafi, 2011), Emery and Flora (2006) social capital, both bonding and bridging is the critical resource that reversed the downward spiral of loss to an upward spiral of hope a process we call "spiraling-up (Emery and Flora, 2006).Rahman and Milgram in their study also highlights the importance of giving small loans and micro-Fund focuses on the development of women's employment (Rahaman and Milgram, 2001), and whether Sen focuses on poverty as a denial of the capacity to provide.So that poverty results in environmental issues and thereby paving the exclusion and inequality problems.The solution to this problem depends on the economic and social interest (Sen, 2004).As a recent UN habitat report observes, meeting this target in "large urban areas, and small towns or large villages (and anything in between) will require different approaches and governance systems, from the point of technical choices, appropriate institutional arrangements, capacity-building and sustainable financing mechanisms (Nzengya and Aggarwal, 2013).Sustainable development that is influential in human improvement proved successful only if it is handled and carried out by the help of all social groups and for all of them.So regional development is the provision of aid and other assistance to regions which have less economically developed (Fallsolayman et al., 2014).Acknowledging human resource role as the basic axis of development, we should logically take women's role (as half population of human resource) in development (Farroxi Rastayi et al., 2007).In order to make women capable and organized in development procedure, some programs and basic measures haveto be considered.Some of these programs and measures have already evident in the world (Alvani and Zarghamifard, 2003).Women capability is one of the main objectives of human resource development.It aims at heightening women's knowledge and awareness, confidence, and freedom (Shaditalab, 2007).
As mentioned above, involving women in development procedure is a basic need in third-world countries.Rural women incorporate most of the population of third-world countries.In all of these societies, rural women as half of the required population for rural development have carried out rural development affaires (Hafezian, 2011).Women especially those in rural areas suffer from destitution of facilities, power, credit, and assets.Different factors including socio-economical, cultural, and ecological factors influence the level of women role in development to a great extent (Xajehnuri et al., 2007).Rural women have regarded as remarkable direct (as agricultural producers, animal raisers, handcrafts, and rural industry) and indirect (as helpers in agricultural sectors as labor force) potentials.In order to attract rural women cooperation in development, we should estimate strategies making them motivated and enabled with high self-esteem (Jomhari and Nayebzadeh, 2011).
A more detailed investigation of this issue is important for providing efficient grounds from improving women condition and status in societies especially in rural ones.Rural women participation is an indication of their power in carrying a big role in development and a sign of their active attendance in decision making (Tabatabayi and Hosseini, 2007).This is one of the requirements of reaching sustainable development.As far as human resource development is concerned justice as equal accessibility to opportunities along with its other principles, namely, consistency, efficiency, and power verifies this issue.Iran has got the world rank of 78 in gender development index (0.719) (UNDP, 2007).Women have more in lack of access to development indices than men.However, they play a great role in management of socio-economical development of rural areas (Rose, 1993).Therefore it is required to put more emphasis on the role of this group in rural affairs.In order to start investigation, we selected the droughty and desert region of Sarbisheh countysouth Xorasan-Iran as the case study of our research.The reason behind this selection returns back to UNDP investigation of Carbon Sequestration in this region since 2003 regarding its environmental and regional limitations.Factors found influential in development of this dessert area were stated as women participation in development stream and the considerations related to this issue.This study, according to the lack of development of the region, the low index of human resource of the area, and droughty climate of the selected area, investigates the role of women cooperation in the development of this region through Carbon Sequestration Project.
We hope that the obtained results stressing on women participation in development will introduce this project as an appropriate case for reviving sustainable development in other droughty areas of the world.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study is practical and descriptive-analytical as far as the research and the content have respectively concerned.Data collection procedure makes use of evidential and case studies.This study is carried in 13 villages with the space of 54904 ha.These villages are located in the villages that they plan on doing.The research is methodologically carried through different techniques of observation, interview, and questionnaire.Data were collected in computer after collecting and eliciting questionnaires.Considering the high efficiency of SPSS software in calculating statistical indices, we entered data in SPSS obtaining frequency tables and other required indices.It is important to note that some studies and assessments of the design was the result of Statistics and some information and statistics compiled through a questionnaire has been prepared in accordance with the present conditions.Method of preparation of a questionnaire with more people who have awareness of the project and its effects.These people were surveyed by the Information Center. in geographical location of 59'12' to 60'14' eastern longitude and 32'03' to 32'54' northern latitude.The center of the city is 1820 m above the sea level (Hashemzadeh, 2008).Carbon sequestration project in Hoseinabad Ghinab Plain that is 100 km far from the east of Sarbisheh County located in south Xorasan since 2003.This region is located in Hoseinabad Ghinab with the space of 216000 ha in 40 villages in Sarbisheh county political range.The number of living families in villages that participated in the project increased from 273 in 2008 to 469 in 2010 (Qeisari, 2012) (Figure 1).

Carbon sequestration project is run in Sarbisheh County
The project of carbon sequestration in Hoseinabad Ghinab Plain is a cooperative plan among Iran's government, United Nation Development Program (UNDP), and Global Environmental Facilities (GEF).Lands of Afghanistan borders destroyed by the presence of Afghani refugees have selected as the location of running the Project (Fallsolayman, 2008).This study aims at investigating and finding cost-effective and consistent ways for reviving these dessert areas.Developing cooperative view in reviving pastures, increasing the capacity of carbon sequestration in the region, and improving the socio-economical status of local residents have some objectives of running this project.Therefore, emphasis is to be put on empowering the local society as the basic help to control and manage pastures and economical activities.
In order to reach this, rural development groups have set meetings and continuous discussion sessions in some parts of villages.They have provided variety of trainings and tried to make the members of these society consistent contributors in managing and reviving the pastures of the region based on some specific strategies including women cooperation.The identified humanistic objectives of the project stress on improving different socio-economical indices in the region.Human development index (HDI) of the local society is considered as the most important factor during running the project.HDI is important because it illustrates the growth and development rate of the region and a mixed index of social and economical parameters (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2008).
One way of decreasing the density of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is Carbon Sequestration.Carbon Sequestration refers to trapping CO2 by surface and underground pastures in order to decrease the negative influence of global warming (Haderbadi, 2010).The project of Carbon Sequestration introduces reviving destroyed pastures for and with people (i.e.planting merely for people to take the benefit of planting), comprehensive and homogeneous approaches, and making use of youth, men, and women's contributions in pasture management (through making people purse their goals).This project is dividable into four components including removing deprivation, group working and cooperation, local society empowerment, and reviving pastures and introducing Carbon Sequestration Modeling (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011).This project put emphasis on the establishment of formal and social associations as effective grounds for people contribution.
Assigning programming accountability and responsibility to local and basic levels of the society empower the goal society.Through this, local society should observe its living; therefore, this provides a more effective management in resources and makes their usability more sustainable.It is notable that

International level
Assessing the level of atmospheric carbon absorption coming out of photo synthesizing through reviving dessert regions and finally decreasing the density of these gases

National level
Increasing the usability level of arid and semi arid lands and removing deserts through reviving destroyed pastures and accessibility to contribution management Local level Contribution of people in reviving lands, improving socio-economical status of local society, and decreasing destitution and improving human development index Source: Mahmudabadi and Harati (2012).
objectives of a program cannot be fulfilled merely through planning and running programs.Even if complete supervision controls the procedures, some unexpected and uncontrollable factors come through that may prevent the achievement of the objectives (Nuri, 2003) (Table 1).

Changes in population in the scope of the project and the project changes
The objective of rural development programs is to study the changes related to an area in dimension, structure, growth, and population.Some other considerations taken after the investigation have another goal of rural development programs.Investigating quantitative changes like the number of living families and individuals, age, gender, activity, literacy and education, employment, immigration etc. can provide required awareness of the effectiveness of rural development programs in different time interval required for compatibility with social objectives.The results of population enumeration, according to the second step of evaluation and assessment, indicate that the population of villages surrounding the area of carbon sequestration project increased from 2176 in 2009 to 2206 in 2011.In fact it increased by 27 individuals.The population of village families increased from 372 in 2008 to 469 in 2011.Family dimension was about 4.6 in 2011, while this index was 5 at the beginning in 2008 (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011).13 villages exist in the area of running carbon sequestration project.According to the statistics of 2011, there exist 1133 women and 1073 men.However, in 2008 (the beginning year), there were 920 women and 946 men living in villages.It indicates that the population of women increased with a higher speed than that of men.Therefore, more attention have been drawn to this group of the society.The rise in women population justifies the fact that they have within development program and should be contributed in different parts of the program, economical activities, employment, and providing a good social position for them.The project carbon sequestration has provided these socio-economical opportunities for women (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011) (Table 2).

Contribution of women and saving and loan Associations
The main core in the strategies of carbon sequestration project is pursuing cooperative management and making local people cooperative contributors.People cooperation and the success of such projects necessitate cooperative sub-structures.In order to organize this issue and to motivate people for establishing social organizations, several clarifying and training sessions were held in rural societies of the intended region.The importance of cooperation and contribution and their influence on recognizing local opportunities were tried to be shown for people through simple methods.There were many problems at the beginning of running the project because of the existence of ethnical and socio-economical demands and restrictions of local societies.However, the problems were smoothen through running different programs toward training and motivating local society leading consequently to the Village Development Groups (VDG) consisting of separate groups of men and women and also of mixed groups (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011).
A boss and clerk manage the group.Bosses have generally dominant influential local people that have highly respected in local societies.The clerks have responsible for setting meetings, organizing records, collect savings, managing and protecting documents and micro credentials.Foundation of rural development groups has been the most important achievement of the project.This social investment understanding the importance of cooperative efforts can be everlasting showing up with more importance in future.Men and women selected from rural development groups, whether selected by self-selection or project selection, have trained in some skills and it is known as basic means of employment and increasing income.In order to provide current expenses, we made use of training incomes made from two-week negotiating discussions through saving and loan associations.Running these credentials in production activities and toward other needs of individuals provided the local society with some remarkable opportunities.On the other hand, groups were also motivated toward more attempts receiving production loans according to their needs and requests.
Organizing local society made people more motivated and enabled not only in education and awareness but also in vigil supervision and information collection.
Emphasizing on eclectic approaches for enabling local societies in improving natural resources, carbon sequestration project has tried to take the consistent involvement of people in cooperation activities and responsibility into account.One of the activities, in this regard, that was carried through gathering local society together has been sponsoring social interconnected groups and micro saving and loan associations (personal savings).This issue is important for different social, humanistic, financial, and environmental aspects.Attracting women's cooperation is one of the obvious point of this movement.They not only participated in developing groups but also established separate or mixed (male and female) saving and loan associations that played an important role in direct and indirect activities of rural resource reviving.Assigning responsibilities to local people, especially rural women, to reach self independence and more accountability toward management, supervision of natural resource, living making, income, and other affairs have created a new atmosphere of view in rural environment.
Saving and loan associations provide their required investment for production and the expenses of their members independently.In each group, some volunteers selected by themselves or by project get trained to manage and administer employment-raising plans.These associations give priority to low-income groups and rural women for improving job-raising activities.Table 2 illustrates changes in the rate of women contributions and their public activities in group indices and saving and loan associations since the beginning.Some of the influential outcomes of the project with a especial view to women include changes in the level of rural women income, increase in the number of groups, and women contribution and their activities.Regarding women isolation in rural settings, it is indicated that establishing rural women development groups and their contribution in development not only is beneficial for villagers but also influences their economical independence and their continuous contribution in decision-making.Having economical nature, this has also led to women independence.Therefore, women played a great role in economical development of this desert area and great proportion of the region development is owed to active and energetic contribution of rural women.For example, according to statistics, the level of women's saving in 2008 was 3830700 Rials.This increased to 106333125 Rials in2011 (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011) (Table 3).
The number of rural development group (specific to women) in 13 villages being studied in 2011 were 7 consisting of 285 individuals, respectively.The trend of changes in women rural development group saving indicates that this raised increasingly from3830700 to 10631125 Rials that is, 66% increase since 2008.Therefore, this issue influenced local family (per capita) income and economical development of rural families.The increase of all development groups is evident in Table 4. Table 5 illustrates changes in different economical indices in terms of income in different levels, the level of saving rise, the average of monthly saving of banks, and the level of each member's saving (from the beginning year of 2008 to 2011).In all indices, regardless of some deficiencies in some years, the changes were high and ascending.

The grounds of rural development groups
Regarding women activities, the results indicate that women's activities decreased in house holding and ranching while their activities increased in agriculture laboring.Before carrying Carbon Sequestration Project women were mostly busy with house holding and some male-related jobs like ranching.With the emergence of carbon sequestration project, women's contribution in comparison with 5 years ago increased in other fields like farming, gardening, and agriculture laboring by 3.1, 0.8 and 23.3%, respectively.This increase was more specific in agriculture laboring because of their active contribution in protection and reviving pastures.Women demonstrated an active role in this section including in producing plants and collecting plant seeds from the surface of pastures.The project has positively influenced the level of women employment by granting micro credential loans and providing required trainings in handcraft industry.This is indicated by the 5.3% shown increase demonstrating women capability in this part (Table 6).

Employment-raising influence of production granted loans by project and micro loan associations
The results of the study indicate that 152 members of rural development group have found part-time jobs in 2014.This consists of women, 80 persons and 56%, and men, 70 persons and 46%.Therefore, it is indicated that women's part-time jobs have more under the influence of production loans.The most part of this influence is evident in rug weaving (21 cases), knitting (18 cases), major animal raising (14 cases), minor animal raising (10 cases), and finally chicken and turkey raising (8 cases).Many of these jobs did not exist before the project.They were run after starting the project.Some of these jobs include hairdressing, honey bee raising, tailoring, and herbal plant distilment.Therefore, it is evident that the foundation of micro saving and loan associations has shown a big influence in this regard.It is because that without these associations not only there would be no opportunity for rural women but also no contribution of rural women would exist in association foundation.Generally, 82 individuals and families have had job and take the benefit of employment (Table 7).

Eliciting opinions about women contribution in social activities
Providing all required facilities for flourishing and putting women's talent into action, we can make women's capability and contribution burgeon.The results of opinion elicitation among women of the study indicate that 63% of women have interested in group and cooperative contributions.Among others, 46% of women believe that group activities have better and more effective.56.5% declared their membership in local development group as their honors.73% demonstrated their interests in religious meetings that showed the highest frequency.51% stated that they had attended in speech meetings held in the village.36.3% believed that group activities result in decreasing the expenses.45% reported their attendance in rural development groups.Totally, during five past years the attendance of samples in social activities increased (Table 8).

Investigating women project training activities
Totally, about 20 training activities were run by carbon sequestration project in 2011.Among all participating individuals (299 persons), 152 cases were women.80% of these activities associated with money making activities and others (remaining 20%) with substructures and resource management.The project has shown more concern about women training because of their various interests.90% of learners were members of rural women development groups.
The analysis of production activities of rural development groups provided through the project or micro credential saving and loan banks indicate that 42% of those who granted production activity loan had been trained by the project before granting the loan.These training had mostly been in knitting, tailoring, needle working, and other related activities such as rug weaving and raising chicken, turkey, and light animals.Collectively, it is indicated that 60% of these trainings have provided for rural development groups.Investigations related to training classes toward carbon sequestration project's objectives indicate that more than half of people expressed satisfaction with these courses willing to have more training sessions in the region (Table 9).
Since a very high proportion of job skills is incorporated by women, we can say that women showed more interest and pursuit in helping the classes and training workshops.One of the most important objectives of the project is guaranteeing local women contribution in protecting and managing natural resource and environment and encouraging people to manage and revive pastures.For this, local societies, in the form of rural development groups, put their best attempt in collecting plant seeds, raising plants, and cultivating plant.They spontaneously cultivated plants in a vast area of the region.Women development groups showed up in this regard especially in raising plants and reviving practices.These kinds of activities have regarded as the most important job and money-making resource for women in the region.In 2009 and 2010, 1111000 and 90000 saplings, respectively, from Tagh bhaveroot type, Atropilex pot, and pot Tagh were generated.Additionally, about 7 tones of Atroplex seed were collected by countrymen.Most of theses seds were used in reviving regions for replanting by local men and women.Moreover, local women cooperated much in irrigation and protection of cultivated area.In 2011, 3573 individuals (2311 men -1262 women) were busy with planting saplings.

Estimation of destitution and human development with an emphasis on rural women society
The index of poverty and destitution was assessed in terms of human life quality and Human Development Index (HDI).Both economical and social variables have considered in this index.Some of the indices of this parameter include real income (per capitaconsidering the equality of the power of purchaseper Rials) 1 indicating an appropriate level of living, education development and availability that have rates of adults literacy and the average of schooling years, and life expectancy indicating long life and health according to the years of living since birth.Finally, the rate of destitution index and its variations were investigated from the beginning to the present time.Estimation of rural destitution and human development index can both illustrate the strong and weak points of rural areas and can be an appropriate basis for decreasing regional divisions.Awareness of the level of inequality in rural areas or recognizing the index changes in different years in rural areas is one of the most important steps in taking effective strategies and increasing success coefficient of development and programming approaches.The results have presented in Table 9.

[HPI = (1-HDI)]
The index of destitution among rural societies of the region in 2011 was 0.483.Comparing this index with destitution index in 2010 (equal to 0.496), it is indicated that the index of destitution coefficient in the region decreased by 0.093 and in comparison to 2009 decreased by 0.076.This level of decrease in comparison to 2008 equals to 0.076 (Iran's Organization of Jungles, Pastures, and Aquifers, 2011) (Table 10).

Conclusion
Women, as invisible and unperceived factor in rural ecoNumy incorporate a huge proportion of the total human resource required by agricultural sections in the world.Contribution refers programming to the presence of women in development procedures, need analysis, problem identification, management, administration, and assessment.Equality that refers to people's contribution in society that is mostly governed by men is not achievable.Equality that makes women involved happens in the projects that provide benefits for women.These projects involve women proportionally.Improving women contribution in decision-making processes improves their level toward increasing development and makes them more capable.Therefore this contribution can be applied in order to increase control of production factors and to ensure equal variability to benefits and to guarantee their fair distribution.In carbon sequestration project, women, as part of the society, understand the importance of development projects and feel responsible toward it.The results indicate that women that participated in training classes and courses have more equipped with strong motivation.
Because of the high influence of women on the society and their role in transfer of cultures and values from one generation to another, decision and policy makers should take women, their training, and skill education mere into account.Making different levels of training available to rural society and providing them with appropriate job opportunities and industrial, technical, and medical equipments result in city decentralization as the only source of investment.This provides the opportunity of resource and facility fair distribution between cities and villages.Government can take the benefit of expending toward rural development and support of rural women that have more vulnerable in destitution and showed less immigration and more adaptability to hardships instead of expending for controlling urban population.Another important point is that the problems of countrymen have to be investigated through their own eyes.Therefore, in order for rural problems to be solved, women contribution in regional programming is required.People's contribution and participation in their own issues guarantee the true administration of projects and lead to the prevention of wasting credits, resources, and facilities.Collectively, the results of planned contribution of rural women in regional development activities in carbon sequestration project have as follow: 1.The establishment of rural women groups in order to confront difficulties and obstacles against the growth and development of rural society and providing appropriate solutions in different aspects 2. Cooperation, co thinking, and mutual feedback 3. The fulfillment of daily needs of rural women through cooperation, treatment of people through a sense of sociability and cooperation, project-program-and local activities homogeneity, improving rural women talents, and flourishing women creativity 4. EcoNumizing and decreasing expenses, improving productivity in women related economical activities 5. Taking the benefit of women contribution in maintaining and managing natural resources associated with desert nature of the region Women have placed in the center of Carbon Sequestration Project in the desert areas and planners considered them a lot.One of the manifestations of giving importance to rural women for development is to define women's position in the area economically, socially, environmentally, and to attract their presence in regional developing decisions.Women of the third-world countries struggle with their own restrictions and difficulties at the level of family and society.Women participation in meeting and generally in different process of development not only specified their capabilities for dignitaries but also provided them with independence in family economically and socially.
As far as economical independence and position of women have concerned, their status is more consistent than before running the project.They, besides men, have providing more welfare in different indices.This is also verified by the indicated changes in different index of income (per capita), micro saving and loan associations, and the improvement of the level of hygiene, life expectancy, and education.Women, before the project, were less trained.The project managed to make them have toward their life and different job positions.Making women cognizant, this project could strengthen women positions in the stream of economical and social development.The level of development indices also improved.
Therefore, it should be noted that women played an important role in improving the rate of different economical, social, and environmental indices of desert areas.Women showed up with a high contribution in income (per capita), saving, training, life expectancy, education, employment, cooperation, membership in development groups, foundation of micro credential saving and loan associations, weeding, and natural resources.Therefore, carbon sequestration project run in one of the desert area of Iran can be modeled to develop the same regions of the world.This study, in fact, tried to illustrate parts of international development project in desert areas of Iran with a focus on women role in this regard.What was mentioned was only part of the performance of the project.We hope that this study can make readers and planners more interested in this development plan.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The objectives of carbon sequestration project in local, national, and international levels.

Table 1 .
The objectives of carbon sequestration project in local, national, and international levels.

Table 2 .
The population of women and men in Carbon Sequestration Project in 2011.

Table 3 .
The trend of changes in group indices and saving and loan associations from to 2011

Table 4 .
Information related to micro saving and loan association of rural development groups.

Table 5 .
Changes in groups' indices and women micro saving and loan associations from 2008 to 2011.

Table 6 .
Distribution of studied women -with the specification of their activity ground in study domain.

Table 7 .
Total number of created part-time jobs for women through production loans in 2014.

Table 8 .
The level of people contribution in social and group activities in comparison to 5 years ago.

Table 9 .
Elicitation about the influence of trainings on production activity skills in the region of the project,.

Table 10 .
Estimation of HDI and its indices.