Abstract
Introduction
Currently, around one-third of the country's rice consumption is met through imports. However, concerns have been raised due to global population growth, limited land for new rice cultivation, and unpredictable export policies from major rice-producing countries. This has led to a focus on maintaining food security. Despite sufficient financial resources, sourcing rice from global markets may become increasingly challenging. In response, countries like Iran are striving to reduce import dependence and enhance self-sufficiency in rice production through various policies. Rice production, like any other crop, relies on specific inputs, with labor being crucial. Assessing farmers' food security and understanding the factors influencing it are essential for sustainable production.
Materials and Methods
Data was collected using a questionnaire, with the sample size determined through random cluster sampling. A field survey was conducted in 2022 among rice farmers in Guilan Province. A standard 18-item questionnaire from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was used to assess food security, and the ordered logit model was employed to analyze the effects of demographic, economic, and social variables on food security.
Results and Discussion
The study found that only 25.73% of rice-farming households surveyed in Guilan Province in 1401 were food secure, while over two-thirds (74.27%) faced varying degrees of food insecurity. The ordered logit model results indicated that factors such as the household head’s education, the number of working household members, place of residence, housing ownership status, household head’s employment status, monthly income, food variety, proximity to the provincial capital, land ownership, and cultivated area positively impact the food security level of paddy farming households in Guilan Province. Higher levels in these independent variables increase the likelihood of rice-farming households achieving better food security. Conversely, household size negatively impacts the food security level of rice-farming households in Guilan Province.
Conclusions
The study highlights the importance of enhancing and diversifying rice farmers’ incomes, controlling inflation, stabilizing food prices, and promoting general and specialized education in food and nutrition literacy to achieve food security. Improving the socio-economic conditions of rice-farming households can significantly reduce food insecurity in the study area. It is also recommended that the government prevent excessive imports during the harvest season and support the possibility of exporting high-quality rice to international markets.