How to protect productive lands to ensure food security: The case of Northern Iran

Agriculture has always been a valuable activity and is accepted by human societies to achieve food security. Achieving this goal requires production on land that must be properly sustained. Accordingly, the main aim of this study is to investigate the sustainability strategies and optimal use of agricultural land in Guilan province using a food security approach. The research is descriptive-analytical in terms of applied purpose and the basis of its method. The SWOT analytical model has been used to provide appropriate solutions by examining effective internal and external points. Agricultural lands, forests, and rangelands were surveyed and presented in 1994 and 2016. The statistical population of the research includes university professors, senior experts of Agricultural Lands Administration, farmers and local managers. The findings revealed that strengths (4.8), weaknesses (4.3), and threats (4.5), outranked opportunities. Accordingly, the overall solution is to reduce weaknesses in order to prevent the threats ahead and to use the existing strengths to achieve the expected opportunities. Finally, by using practical strategies and new paradigms, while providing economic support to the agricultural sector, the ground for the sustainability of Guilan lands will be provided.