Assessing the Vulnerability of Rural Households to Floods at Pol-e Dokhtar Region in Iran

Somayeh Ahmadi, Rezvan Ghanbari Movahed, Saeed Gholamrezaie and Mehdi Rahimian
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Somayeh Ahmadi: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Lorestan University, Khorramabad 6815144316, Iran
Rezvan Ghanbari Movahed: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Lorestan University, Khorramabad 6815144316, Iran
Saeed Gholamrezaie: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Lorestan University, Khorramabad 6815144316, Iran
Mehdi Rahimian: Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Lorestan University, Khorramabad 6815144316, Iran

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: The agricultural sector in rural areas is seriously affected by climate change, affecting agricultural production and farming communities. This paper investigates rural households’ vulnerability to floods in the seven agricultural-based regions of Pol-e Dokhtar, south of Lorestan Province, Iran. The primary data for the vulnerability indicators were collected from 322 households. Three main components of vulnerability, including exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity, were measured using the obtained data. The weighting of indicators was done by the MSF method and using MATLAB software. The results showed that the social and economic characteristics of households affect their vulnerability to floods. The Jayder, Mamolan, and Afrineh regions, which were more exposed to floods, had less capacity for adaptation. The results showed that the most vulnerable communities could be described by characteristics such as low levels of agricultural insurance, limited access to credit, low levels of income diversification, high levels of unemployment, low levels of social capital, higher dependency ratios, and poor infrastructure. This research showed that diversified livelihoods have a significant effect on reducing farmers’ sensitivity to floods. The study proposes policy implications to increase resilience and reduce farmers’ vulnerability to floods. The government and other development partners should prioritize the most vulnerable areas by improving their access to finance and providing the technical assistance required for increasing their coping capacity.

Keywords: vulnerability; flood; exposure; sensitivity; adaptation capacity; Iran (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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