نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Introduction
Farmers (primarily smallholders) in developing countries are likely to be more negatively affected by climate change impacts than farmers in developed countries due to their heavy reliance on agriculture and natural resources. Therefore, adaptation measures are essential to cope with this pressure. In fact, farmer adaptation is one of the most effective practices that can be used to reduce vulnerability to climate change and increase resilience, transforming environmental threats into suitable management opportunities. Furthermore, awareness and understanding of farmers' adaptation behavior towards climate change is an important starting point for addressing current and future policies and helps policymakers develop rational programs and optimally allocate credits. Hence, the objective of the present study was to examine the adaptation strategies of smallholder farmers in Zarghan County with climate change.
Materials and Methods
In terms of paradigm, the present research was a qualitative study conducted with an exploratory approach. The participants of this research were smallholder farmers in Zarghan County. The sampling method in this study was purposive, using the critical case sampling technique. Based on the theoretical saturation index, 65 farmers were selected as the sample to obtain useful information. Data collection was done using semi-structured in-depth individual interviews and open-ended questionnaires. The data analysis technique was content analysis using MAXQDA software.
Results and Discussion
The results of the research, using content analysis, showed that smallholder farmers use three categories of strategies to adapt to climate change:
1. Technical-Agronomic Strategies (using resistant seeds, reducing seed quantity, cultivating salt-tolerant varieties, changing the cropping pattern to low-water-demand crops, changing planting dates, reducing cultivated area, land leveling and consolidation, converting some farmland to orchards (pomegranate, pistachio, etc.), leaving land fallow, using conservation tillage, constructing water ponds, dredging irrigation canals, using drip irrigation, reducing the number of irrigations, creating shade by planting trees around the farm, reducing the use of chemical fertilizers, using animal and organic fertilizers, using integrated pest management, reducing pesticide use, and changing the timing of pesticide application).
2. Economic-Financial Strategies (crop insurance, joining production cooperatives, receiving loans, borrowing, changing occupation, selling assets, leasing farmland, using family labor).
3. Socio-Cultural Strategies (migration, praying, using weather forecasts, attending extension classes, using experts' opinions, and using other farmers' opinions).
Conclusion
According to the obtained results, farmers use various strategies to adapt to climate change. To improve the adaptation status of farmers, solutions such as utilizing the region's potential capacities for job creation and diversifying the livelihoods of rural communities, increasing irrigation efficiency in agriculture through the development of modern irrigation systems, developing regional and local climate models with the ability to more accurately predict weather patterns, etc., were proposed.
کلیدواژهها English
