Explaining farmers’ response to climate change-induced water stress through cognitive theory of stress: an Iranian perspective

Sedighe Pakmehr, Masoud Yazdanpanah () and Masoud Baradaran
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Sedighe Pakmehr: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan
Masoud Yazdanpanah: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan
Masoud Baradaran: Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2021, vol. 23, issue 4, No 49, 5776-5793

Abstract: Abstract This study investigates the underlying causes of farmers’ adaptation responses in the face of the negative impacts of climate change on water resources in Iran. We applied the theory of cognitive stress to examine and clarify how farmers respond to climate change-induced water stress as an environmental stressor, using a multistage, clustered, random sampling method of farmers (n = 250) in a survey conducted in southwestern Iran. Our analyses revealed that both demand appraisal and self-efficacy are significant predictors of problem-focused coping, which, in turn, influenced farmers’ adaptation responses. The theory accounted for 31% of the variance in farmers’ problem-focused coping behavior, which, in turn, accounts for around 39% of the variance in adaptation responses. We anticipate that the findings will result in recommendations for policymakers and advisors to extension organizations and that it will ultimately be used to inform strategies to encourage effective adaptation responses to water scarcity among Iranian farmers.

Keywords: Adaptation behavior; Water stress; Climate change; Theory of cognitive stress; Iran (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-020-00846-3

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