Management of Natural Ecosystems

Management of Natural Ecosystems

Valuation of Rainfed and Irrigated Agricultural Lands with Emphasis on Legal, Physical, and spatial Factors: Application of the Hedonic Model in Marvdasht County

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hamid Mohamadi 1
Davood Seify qareyatagh 2
Vahid Dehbashi 3
Mohammad Mehdipur 4
1 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of law, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
4 Instructor, Department of law, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
10.22034/emj.2026.2079375.1140
Abstract
Land, as the fundamental input in the agricultural sector, requires precise valuation for sustainable decision-making. This study aimed to conduct a comparative valuation of rainfed and irrigated agricultural lands in Marvdasht County, emphasizing the role of physical, spatial, and legal-ownership factors. This research is descriptive-analytical in type and employs an econometric approach. Cross-sectional data for the year 2025 were collected through structured questionnaires and field interviews with 80 farmers (40 rainfed farmers and 40 irrigated farmers) selected using stratified random sampling. Given the specific heterogeneous and immovable nature of land, this study performed modeling within the framework of the Hedonic pricing method, and two separate estimations were conducted in the model based on the differences among the variables. The results of both estimations showed that distance from the city, village, road, well, and consumer market negatively impacts the price of agricultural land. Furthermore, the rainfed also had a negative impact on the price of agricultural land, while being irrigated increases the land’s value.”. The degree of land fertility had a positive impact on agricultural land prices. However, the total area shows no significant effect on the price of agricultural land. Additionally, legal-ownership factors such as the type of ownership document and access to water rights showed a positive and significant impact, while a history of property disputes had a negative and significant impact on land prices. Overall, the estimated Hedonic model indicates that alongside the irreplaceable role of traditional production factors like soil fertility, legal factors (security of title/deed and water rights) act as intangible yet productive inputs, playing a decisive role in land valuation. These findings emphasize the necessity for policymakers to pay attention to legal and judicial institutions, alongside conventional production factors, to achieve sustainable management of agricultural lands.
Keywords
Valuation
Agricultural Lands
Access to Water Rights
Rainfed
Ownership document
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 09 December 2025
  • Revise Date 25 February 2026
  • Accept Date 27 February 2026