Farmers' adaptation to drought risk through farm–level decisions: the case of farmers in Dehloran county, Southwest of Iran

Abstract

ABSTRACT Empirical evidence has revealed that farmers can manage the negative impact of drought effectively by changing and adapting their current farming practices. Adaptation is thus a focal point in reducing farmers' vulnerability. Knowledge of what farmers do in response to drought events can broaden adaptation options and improve resilience within the sector. To design effective public drought adaptation strategies, it is crucial to understand farmers' adaptive decision-making at the farm level. The aim of this study was thus to investigate farmers' ongoing adaptation measures and to identify factors influencing their choice of methods. To identify the factors influencing farmers' decisions, we used Protection Motivation. The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The population of interest consisted of farmers in Dehloran, in the Ilam Province of southwestern Iran. The study sample consisted of 320 farmers selected through a multistage random sampling procedure. The structural equation modelling result revealed that the response efficacy, perceived vulnerability and response cost respectively had a significant effect on the adaptive response. From the practical point of view, the present study provides a justification for using constructs of the Protection Motivation Theory in policy and decision-making aimed at encouraging farmers to reduce drought risks.