A Study of Factors Affecting the Drought Resilience of Farmers in Pakdasht County, Iran

Purpose- The consequences of drought and the damages inflicted on the rural community, which are major challenges confronting rural communities to achieve sustainable development, mirror the poor resilience of farmers against this risk. Therefore, the main issue of the current research is to explore the factors affecting Pakdasht farmers' drought resilience.Design/Method/Approach: This paper adopts a descriptive-analytical research method. The data collection is based on library study analysis and field surveys. The main data collection instrument is a questionnaire completed by the subjects (n=۳۸۱ farmers). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software as well as t-test, regression, analysis of variance, the COCOSO technique and the COPELAND technique.Finding- The t-test was used to investigate the drought resilience status of villagers. The socio-cultural, psychological, and economic components, except for those related to the extent of damages, environmental factors and institutional performance, and the scale of civil and physical development in the region under study, were in a balanced and favorable condition, but the items of the institutional framework, institutional relations, and technological level and infrastructure were not desirable. The correlation between researches indices in the region is ۰.۷۴۷, meaning that mentioned indices can explain ۷۴% of the variances. The result of the ANOVA test suggested that the villages of Pakdasht County were not significantly different in terms of the psychological index (Sig=۰.۰۸۵) of resilience. Informed by the findings of the COCOSO technique, the farmers of Filestan village are more drought-resistant than the farmers in other villages. Greater participation of people, diversity of economic activities, appropriate physical and civil development, technological advancement and more suitable infrastructure are some of the factors that contribute to the higher resilience of farmers in this village. According to Copeland’s method, the variables of education and awareness as well as the diversity of economic activities of the farmer's household ranked high in terms of importance.Originality/value- The results of this research can help organizations in charge of handling drought in the villages of Pakdasht to gain deeper insights into the existing conditions so that they can enhance the resilience of farmers during drought using the presented solutions. It also allows officials to diversify economic activities and promote complementary businesses as effectively as possible.

Keywords:

Resilience , drought , COCOSO technique , Copeland’s method , Pakdasht County