Land Reform in Iran and its Effects on Rural Landscapes: Enormous Lessons for the Future

The paper makes an effort to indicate how the land reform in Iran (1962-1971) contributed to the indepth changes in rural landscapes across the country in Pahlavi era (1925-1979). It will show that after the land reform, the factors creating rural landscapes were changed and this, in itself, led to pronounced effects on Iran's rural landscapes in many aspects. To clarify the effects and changes derived from the land reform operations, the researcher, having investigated in more than fifty villages in the variant climates and distinctive geographical areas, analyzed the differences and pursued their main roots to conclude that there is a divergence between Iran's rural landscapes before and after the land reform. The paper emphasizes the fact that there are common grounds on the rural landscape change issues which can be useful, adaptable, and applicable in many ways for the related authorities in Iran and other similar developing countries. In addition, the paper aims to provide policy guidance to governments and planners in the field of rural landscape changes in developing countries for the future.