Qualitative assessment of the tendency of nomadic herders to other alternative livelihoods (Case study: Moghanlu tribe nomads of Shahsoon tribe)

Over grazing has led to the quantitative and qualitative destruction of rangelnads. According to experts, creating jobs other than livestock farming and jobs outside rangelands can be effective in attracting livestock farmers from overflowing rangelands.

Over grazing has led to the quantitative and qualitative destruction of rangelands. According to experts, creating jobs other than livestock farming and jobs outside rangelands can be effective in attracting livestock farmers from overflowing rangelands.

However, some issues, including the lack of understanding of the views of the beneficiaries regarding job changes, have largely called into question the success of related projects. Therefore, determining the level of readiness of the nomads to change jobs and the type of alternative jobs was deemed essential. The qualitative research approach and its type were exploratory and applied. The method of data collection was fieldwork. Thematic analysis strategy was considered appropriate for data analysis. The research population consisted of 265 livestock farmers with grazing permits from 21 clans of the Moghanlu tribe of Shahson, whose livestock were present in the rangelands. The sampling method was purpoful. The data collection tools were based on semi-structured interviews and document review. The results of the analysis led to 244 concepts, 49 subcategories, and 8 main categories as "Identity and motivations for dependence on livestock farming", "Skills, education and human capital", "Alternative jobs and diverse opportunities", "Challenges and obstacles to traditional livestock farming", "Environmental factors affecting livelihood change", "Economic and social factors affecting livelihood change", "Infrastructure and investment", "Institutional support and social participation. The ranking of the main categories also showed that in the phenomenon of decision-making of nomadic herders in the region, regarding whether or not to change their jobs, the main category of "identity and motivations for dependence on livestock farming" is considered the most important category. The alternative occupational groups were "livestock farming and livestock products, agriculture and horticulture, product transformation and processing industries, trade and services related to livestock and agriculture, infrastructure and support services, transportation and public services, and other occupations such as service occupations, industrial-technical occupations, and administrative-organizational occupations." Finally, the synthesis and analysis of the findings showed that the majority of nomads showed little desire to change jobs due to their cultural identity, but the younger generation was interested in changing jobs if there were opportunities outside the rangelands. The result is that the decision of a tribal herder to change or continue her job is the result of the interaction of cultural identity and economic-environmental conditions. Therefore, any development program must be designed with respect for the "nomads identity" and integrate education, infrastructure, and institutional support. Ignoring the roots of identity will encounter resistance