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Assessing the vulnerability of farm families towards drought in Kermanshah province, Iran

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Abstract

Drought as a natural disaster and an inevitable phenomenon has impacted different countries such as Iran. Since most Iranian rural households are dependent on agricultural production, they are severely vulnerable to drought. Studies on drought vulnerability have focused on individual farmers with less attention to the farm families. Therefore, the purpose of this survey research was to determine the vulnerability of farm families in Droud Faraman region, Kermanshah. The population comprised of 3329 households in which 172 farm families were selected using multi-stage random sampling techniques. Drought vulnerability was assessed using Deressa et al. formula that measures adaptive capacity, exposure and sensitivity. Results revealed that farm families formed three clusters of vulnerability, i.e. low, moderate and high drought vulnerability. Moreover, Kahrar Moghoofe and Choobderaz villagers were most vulnerable towards drought whereas Moradabad and Amme villagers were least vulnerable to this phenomenon. This study has implications for drought mitigation programs in Kermanshah province. Limited resources should focus on drought vulnerable regions so that adaptive capacities in those regions would be enhanced.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Dr. Lida Sharafi from the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Razi University, Iran, for her constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Extension and Education College of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

    Kiumars Zarafshani & Tahereh Maleki

  2. Department of Agriculture, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

    Marzieh Keshavarz

  3. Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, University of Tabriz, East Azerbaijan, Iran

    Tahereh Maleki

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  1. Kiumars Zarafshani
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  2. Tahereh Maleki
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  3. Marzieh Keshavarz
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Correspondence to Kiumars Zarafshani.

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Zarafshani, K., Maleki, T. & Keshavarz, M. Assessing the vulnerability of farm families towards drought in Kermanshah province, Iran. GeoJournal 85, 823–836 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-019-09994-0

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