Livelihood vulnerability of villagers to climate change: The case of Oghan Watershed in Golestan province

Abstract

Climate change affects the environmental, economic, and social aspects of rural communities. For this reason, proper measures are needed to reduce the vulnerability of watershed residents. The present survey research has investigated the vulnerability of villagers' livelihoods from climate change in Oghan watershed of Golestan province. The study population consisted of 1158 households, that 297 households were investigated using the stratified random sampling method. Data were collected by the questionnaire that its validity and reliability were confirmed by face validity and Cronbach's test, respectively. The results showed that livelihood vulnerability to climate change was slightly above average. Among the five livelihood assets, the most and the least damage was related to the financial and human assets of households, respectively. With increasing household members, the number of livestock, and the area of owned agricultural lands, the vulnerability to climate change has increased. In contrast, by increasing monthly income and duration of stay in the village, the livelihood vulnerability has decreased. Joining cooperatives, using indigenous knowledge and technical skills to combat climate change, and getting help from change agents and facilitators, have resulted in less livelihood vulnerability of climate change. Studying livelihood status of the inhabitants of watersheds due to changes in weather parameters, prioritizing the restoration of financial assets, and organizing villagers to use indigenous knowledge for dealing with the negative effects of climate change are the present research suggestions.