Extended Abstract
 
Introduction
Biological stabilization by using compatible plant species is a way to prevent the expansion of desert areas. Strip cultivation and pit cultivation are the most commonly used methods for planting Haloxylon aphyllum C. A. Mey. Bunge plants. The North Ardakan desertification plan has employed both cultivation methods. In order to choose the best planting method economically in areas with the same conditions, the economic analysis of these two methods for one hectare of cultivation and for the establishment of one sapling can be effective in saving the costs of executive bodies. The present research is carried out by using the meter analysis method and its estimation and comparison with the real analysis method in order to identify the most suitable cultivation method from the economic point of view in desertification projects.
 
Material and Methods
In terms of country divisions, the studied area is located in Yazd province and Ardakan city, and is 20 kilometers away from its center. To investigate the costs of implementing two methods of strip (channel) and pit cultivation, two methods of metering, estimation, and real analysis were used. The meter and estimation method begins by determining the work components based on the plan and executive plan, and then extracting the cost of each part from the relevant price list. According to the operation volume, the final cost per surface unit and the cost per each Haloxylon aphyllum seedling are calculated. Then, the real cost is calculated by the real analysis method, which is done by being in the field and calculating the costs based on the time of using the tools and the number of workers in the form of real wages. The real cost is computed by calculating the unit of surface and each cultivated seedling. From an economic standpoint, the best method can be determined by comparing the estimated and actual costs of implementing both strip and pit cultivation methods.
 
Results
The cost of cultivating Haloxylon aphyllum using the pit method was estimated at 260 million Rials per hectare. The estimated cost for strip cultivation was around 220 million Rials per hectare. The second method had a cost of approximately 40 million Rials less. Comparing actual costs, it was discovered that the actual cost was less than the estimated amount of around 6 million rials for pit cultivation. Comparing the actual cost of planting, it was found that the strip method was approximately 67 million rials cheaper than the pit method per hectare. The ratio of the actual cost to the estimate in the pit method is 0.95. There is economic justification for a price reduction of 12 to 13%. The strip cultivation method yielded a ratio of 0.89 between the actual cost and the estimate, indicating that up to 24% below the price has economic justification.
 
Discussion and conclusion
 
In the pit cultivation method, due to the different nature of the work, which involves more volume of excavation and embankment, the construction of a pit is more expensive and takes longer to complete than in the strip method. The cost per unit area of operation is higher, but it's best if conditions are the same and the location is suitable. The strip cultivation method was used to reduce the cost. The cost calculated for each Haloxylon aphyllum plant in the pit cultivation method is 1308.164 thousand Rials, while for each Haloxylon aphyllum plant in the strip cultivation method is 1125.884 thousand Rials. The research conducted to estimate the actual cost of the two cultivation methods under investigation showed that one hectare of planting seedlings using the pit method requires 268,000 Rials. In strip cultivation metho, the actual cultivation cost per hectare was calculated to be 86/201142 thousand Rials. The cost of planting each seedling using the pit cultivation method was estimated at 1340 thousand rials. The strip cultivation method involved a cost of 714,005,000 rials to grow each seedling. The calculation showed a difference of 14,66857,000 rials between the actual cost of the two cultivation methods. The strip method, which is cost-effective and time-efficient, can be utilized to implement desertification on a wider area than the pit method. It can be concluded that the cost of pit cultivation is higher than the cost of strip cultivation, both by estimation method and actual analysis method. Therefore, under the same conditions, in terms of cost reduction and economics of cultivation methods, stripping is more economical. Furthermore, the actual cost of implementing both cultivation methods is lower than the estimated cost. The estimate and actual cost for pit and strip cultivation were calculated to be 6367.2 and 24033.94 thousand rials, respectively.