Factors affecting of Farmers’ Resilience to Drought: The Case of Sistan Plain

The agriculture sector plays a critical role in ensuring food security. However, the incidence of natural hazards such as drought has threatened the sustainable supply of foods in some vulnerable areas. Also, it is projected that the intensity and extent of droughts will increase in arid and semi-arid regions of Iran. Therefore, enhancing the resilience of farmers to current and future droughts is imperative. This requires a comprehensive and fundamental recognition of the factors affecting the resilience of agricultural producers. Present qualitative research was conducted with the aim of investigating the drivers of farmers’ resilience to drought in the Sistan plain. In this respect, a purposeful sampling method was employed and the required data was gathered through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with a panel of experts, as well as observation and field notes. Using the grounded theory approach, the causal conditions (climate change, water depletion, and soil degradation), contextual conditions (knowledge and awareness, psychological, socio-cultural, information and communication technology, and ecological factors), and intervening conditions (economic, institutional, and extension and education) were identified. Also, adaptation strategies (technical-agricultural management, water resource management, financial-livelihood, and legal-infrastructural factors) and consequences were investigated. In the end, some recommendations and policy implications were provided to enhance the resilience of farm families against drought.