The main purpose of the research is the identification and prioritization of criteria and indicators affecting on lack of sustainable participation of rural communities in combating desertification plans in Dehloran, Ilam province. To determine the number of sample villagers, 189 family were selected using the Cochran formula. In this research, after determining the effective indices and also indicators in the lack of sustainable participation, the questionnaire was designed and its validity was determined by the relevant experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was also tested and validated by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed using AHP and Friedman nonparametric test. The findings of the research show that the results of prioritizing the indicators that affect the lack of stakeholder participation in the AHP based combating desertification plans from the experts' point of view, design-implementation, and educational-promotional criteria are the maximum and minimum priorities, respectively. The results of criteria ranking using the Friedman test in terms of rural residents also indicated that the economic criterion is placed in the first priority and design-implementation, social criterion and educational-promotional are in the next priorities, respectively. Likewise, the results of effective indicators ranking in the lack of sustainable participation of rural communities in combating desertification plans based on the Friedman test in term of the experts’ viewpoints indicate that “ignoring people's income as a direct incentive to implement combating desertification projects” are the most significant economic indicator. Similarly, in the compartment of executive design indicator, from the experts’ viewpoint “the lack of a comprehensive participatory management program to combating desertification” and from the viewpoint of residents of the village “the lack of attention to popular opinion in the design and development of projects are prioritized as the most important indicators. In prioritizing social indicators from the viewpoint of the experts “dependence of the villagers on the state power, distrust of the results of combating desertification plans as well as low literacy level” and in terms of villagers’ opinions, “distrust of the results of combating desertification plans, the dependence of rural residents on the state power, migration of youth” are introduced and prioritized as the most substantial indicators. In the educational-promotional criterion, in terms of both views “lack of training the residents of the area regarding combating desertification projects and the related purposes, as well as lack of utilizing the local promotional group”, are determined as the main important indicators.
