"Systemic action researching" among Iranian nomads

Efforts to improve the natural resource status of Iranian rangelands, has traditionally been attempted through the use of technology transfer and centralised planning. This approach has not been considered successful generally, and particularly not in the nomadic areas. There have been calls for the adoption of more holistic perspectives as a foundation for more effective strategies for sustainable improvements in the situation. This paper, which is drawn from the doctoral studies of one of the authors (M.H.E), reports one on such attempt involving the application of an holistic research process which integrates "action" (practice) with "research" (theory).