Farmers’ Resilience Against Drought with an Emphasis on Economic Factors and Social Capital in Rural Areas: A Case Study of Roniz in Estahban County

Abstract

Resilience is a positive approach to the issue of drought. In recent years, this term has been used mainly instead of vulnerability in natural disasters management studies. The present research aims at the status of farmers’ resilience in Roniz rural district, Estahban County, and the factors affecting it during years of drought. The study is an applied type conducted through a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected using library and field (questionnaire) procedures. The study sample consisted of 230 farmers selected through the Cochran method. The data were analyzed using one-sample t-test as well as regression and correlation coefficient analytic techniques. As the results showed, of the two parameters in focus, namely social capital and a set of economic factors, the latter has a greater effect on farmers’ resilience and, therefore, their survival against natural disasters particularly drought. The results also suggest that the more social capital, the more resilience can be expected against drought.

Keywords

• natural disasters
• hazards
• drought
• resilience
• roniz district