Strategies for Ensuring Water Security in Rural Communities of Ilam Province

The dependence of rural communities, and especially the agricultural sector, on water resources is undeniable. During the last few decades, water shortages have caused more attention to the optimal management of these resources. Water security includes the capacity of the population to protect and maintain sustainable access to sufficient quantities and quality of water for sustainable livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development. This research aims to develop strategies for ensuring water security in rural communities of Ilam province. This research has used the prospective approach. At first, semi-structured interviews were conducted, which were analyzed by content analysis. The sample size in the final report was 17 experts, university professors, and farmers. The results of this part were returned to the respondents for a questionnaire. This research showed that the realization of water security in the studied area requires attention to the areas that have the most significant ability to influence other components. In this way, "determining the trustee of rural development, making policies for crisis management in the village, monitoring and checking the amount of water consumption in farms/installation of digital meters, changing the water price according to the type of cultivation, forming water harvesting associations and developing a new irrigation system" among other things can cover the target