Consequences of Applying Adaptation Strategies of Sistan Farmers to Drought: Resilience and Viability

Recent droughts have aroused extensive concerns on crop and food production in the world. Since the agricultural sector is the leading water consumer in Iran and farmers are one of the most vulnerable groups to drought, applying drought adaptation strategies changes their resilience and viability. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of drought adaptation strategies on farmers' livability and resilience in the Sistan region, Iran (N = 6000). Therefore, a sample of 361 farmers was taken by the multi-stage cluster randomization technique. The research instrument was a questionnaire which its content and face validity was confirmed by a panel of experts and discriminant validity (AVE). In addition, evaluating its reliability using Cronbach's alpha and the Composite reliability indices revealed that the values are within the acceptable range. The results indicated that the means of the physical, and environmental livability, responding, and recovery were significantly lower than the mean interval of the variables. The findings of SEM showed that 45.8% and 38.7% of farmers' livability and resilience to drought conditions depend on the adaptation strategies used by them, respectively.