Evaluation of social-economic sustainability indicators among all constitutive indicators in some parts of Southern Khorasan Province

Abstract:This research was counducted during 2009 at a regional scale in Birjand and Qaen counties, Southern Khorasan, as an attempt to develop a sustainability index (SI) for quantifying the sustainability of saffron agroecosystem. The information of these agroecosystems was collected by using questionnaires and was subjected to statistical analyzing. The average of SI (Sustainability Index) in these agroecosystems was 39.46 for whole studied region, and 37.20 and 45.09 for Birjand and Qaen respectively. These low indices are showing yhe undesirable sustainability condition of saffron agroecosystems. In general, only 9.18 percent of all farmers achieved to a SI equal to or more than 50 and the highest score was 55.12. Area under culture is one the most important factors that determine income in rural communities. This indicator among all constitutive indicators of social sustainability index had the lowest score.