The effect of social capital in mitigating drought impacts and improving livability of Iranian rural households

Abstract

The improvement of rural households' livability in drought conditions has always been an important challenge for all countries, especially developing countries, because consecutive droughts have reduced the resilience of these households and may even inflict irreparable damages to rural and agricultural communities if there are no systems in place for mitigating the risk of drought. This research explored the effects of social capital on the livability of rural families in Iran. The statistical population was composed of all rural-farmer families in Kerman province in the southeast of Iran. The study site was selected based on the severity of droughts. The results show that the studied households are not at an optimal level in livability indices and past droughts have severely reduced their livability level. If no comprehensive plan is adopted for drought management in the coming years, most villages in the southeast of Iran will be desolated. Furthermore, it is revealed that the dimension of social capital (social awareness, participation and collective action, membership in groups, social trust, and social participation) can account for 74.1% of the variance in rural households' livability in drought conditions. In general, the results can provide policymakers with new insights into how to supply conditions for the sustainability of rural families’ livelihood in drought conditions.