Analysis of vulnerability components of small-scale farming units in Hamadan province in the face of climate change

Climate change has impacted negatively on the agricultural sector in recent years, and small-scale farming units have grown increasingly challenging. The goal of this study was to look at the components of small-scale farming units vulnerability to climate change in Hamadan province. The research was conducted under a quantitative paradigm. The study's statistical population included 100 experts and subject matter experts from two rural cooperative organizations and the Hamadan Province's Agricultural Jihad Organization, who were surveyed using the census method and had their opinions on the vulnerability of small farming units to climate change received and analyzed. With the SMART PLS3 program, the gathered data were analyzed using the second-order factor analysis method based on the partial least squares methodology. According to the calculated indicators, the reliability and validity of the model were confirmed. In order to investigate the vulnerability components of small-scale farming units in Hamadan province in the face of climate change from a scale of 48 items with a range of five Likert options based on the type of vulnerability, these damages were classified into three social categories- Institutional, economic-technical and environmental. The results showed that the overall vulnerability of small-scale exploitation units in Hamadan province to climate change consisted of environmental damage (β = 0.950); Economic-technical damage (β = 0/921); Socio-institutional damage (β = 0.503) is affected which is known as the most significant explanatory factor of vulnerability of small-scale farming units in Hamadan province .