Sound development is only possible when equal opportunities are provided for all the communities within the developing territory. Small communities of dispersed rural settlements are no exceptions to this rule. However, human development indices in scattered  small villages usually are usually very low.Therfore, in order to allocate proper funding and development resolutions, the study of economic and social situation in these settlements is of utmost importance. In this paper, thedistrict of Shusf in Nehbandan county, near the eastern borders of Iran with Afghanistan, has been studied. Shusf is comprised of small distant settlements with unfavorable social and economic conditions.The aims of this study were to reveal the social, economic obstacles to the Settlement Integration Program from the point of view of the inhabitants in these rural areas. The method chosen for this applied research is descriptive and analytical in consecutive steps. The  study population  consisted of 117  households, and sample size of 80 households. The one-sample t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze statistical data and to determine the significant levels among the variables. Results showed that the social – cultural factors within these settlements  have a 1.901 score and economic factors have a  1.2 score. The mean point  of infrastructural conditions in these settlements obtained 1.59  which indicates a serious weakness. Therefore it can be concluded that the  social - cultural conditions of these small scattered settlements are unfavourable.  Thus, some of the obstacles facing  the Settlement Integration Program are the risk of losing the scarce yet existing livelihood choices and economic capacities of present setting, plus their general unwillingness to abandon their present familiar locale.