The role of diversity of income sources on the vulnerability of rural farmer households exposed to drought (Case Study: Chenaran County)

Drought is one of the natural hazards that has far-reaching consequences. Due to the dependence of the rural economy on the agricultural sector, the vulnerability of farmers to this risk is very high. Researchers say the most important way to reduce farmers' vulnerability is to diversify their sources of income. Therefore, the present study investigates the role of diversity of agricultural and non-agricultural income sources on the vulnerability of farmers in rural areas to drought. The research method is structurally descriptive-analytical and practical in nature. Independent variables are the diversity of agricultural and non-agricultural economic activities and the dependent variables are vulnerable to three economic, social and ecological dimensions. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.94 indicates the optimal reliability of the research instrument. In this study, 271 rural farmer families in 15 villages of Chenaran city participated in the research. The results of analysis of variance showed that "non-agricultural diversity" has reduced the vulnerability of rural farming households. So that the average vulnerability in households with diverse non-agricultural income sources is 3.72, semi-diverse 3.88 and non-diverse 18.4. Also, crop diversity has not had a statistically significant effect on the vulnerability of rural farming households in the face of drought. According to the results of the analysis of the "non-agricultural diversity" route, the rate of vulnerability of rural farming households has decreased by -0.23. Because farmers with a variety of non-farm income sources are less vulnerable to crises and sudden shocks such as drought, it is important for planners to adopt appropriate strategies to strengthen the diversity of non-farm economic activities in drought-prone areas.