Identifying factors affecting flood risk perception among strawberry growers in Kurdistan province

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Payam Memarbashi ¹
• Gholamreza Mojarradi ²
• Hamideh Maleksaeidi ³

¹ Agricultural Research, Education and Extension organization (AREEO), Shahr-e Kord, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran

² epartment of Agricultural Extension, Communication and Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zanjan, Zanjan,, Iran

³ Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

Keywords

• Climate change
• Self-efficacy
• Risk perception
• Responsibility
• Environmental attitude

Main Subjects

• Agricultural Economics, Extension and Education, Development, , ....

Extended Abstract

Objectives

    Climate change is one of the most important challenges facing the world in the current era. The increase in the temperature of the earth's surface and changes in rainfall patterns are the dominant phenomena in climate change, while these two phenomenons impact almost all parts of the water cycle on the planet. According to the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate change in the coming years will cause more climate changes, increase in temperature, and the occurrence of successive droughts and destructive floods. Among the phenomena caused by climate change, severe floods are considered as one of the most important and destructive phenomena whose most important consequences are economic damage and social damage. In the meantime, the agricultural sector has been more affected by climate change than other sectors of society, and these changes have made the production process and livelihood in this sector vulnerable. Various studies have shown that understanding climate risk perception and factors affecting it, by helping to increase the use of risk reduction strategies and behaviors, play a significant role in reducing the damages caused by these risks. Understanding these factors helps decision makers, policy makers and planners of rural issues to alleviate destructive impacts of climate change by devising adaptive and resilient solutions and increase the degree of realization of risk reduction programs through attracting people's participation in different programs. Therefore, the importance of paying attention to this issue caused the present study to be carried out with the aim of identifying factors affecting flood risk perception of strawberry growers in Kurdistan province, Iran. Conducting such a study can solve some of the obstacles and problems ahead in the field of crisis management in agriculture and rural areas.

Methods

A survey research was carried out using a questionnaire for data collection. Statistical population of the study consisted of all the strawberry growers of Kurdistan province. Sample size was determined 375  basaed on Kerjesi-Morgan table. Stratified random sampling technique was used for selecting strawberry growers. Face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of academic professors and experts in the field of the research subject. To check the reliability of the research tool, a pilot study was conducted on 30 farmers outside the main sample. Results of Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicated that the designed questionnaire has good internal consistency. Data collection was conducted from October 2021 to February 2021. SPSS₂₂ and AMOS₂₂ software were used to analyze the data.

Results

    Findings showed that the studied strawberry growers have relatively good flood risk perception, responsibility, climate knowledge and environmental attitude. This is despite the fact that the self-efficacy in dealing with floods was weak among them, and their level of trust in climate information was moderate. The results of the correlation analysis showed that flood risk perception has positive and significant statistical correlation with environmental attitude, responsibility, trust in climate information and climate knowledge, while there was no significant correlation between this variable with self-efficacy. Overall, based on the findings, among the independent variables of the research, environmental attitude had the highest correlation and climate knowledge had the lowest correlation with flood risk perception. Results of structural equation modeling showed that environmental attitude, knowledge about climate changes; responsibility and trust in climate information had direct effects on flood risk perception of strawberry growers. Also, responsibility and knowledge had indirect effects on risk perception through influencing environmental attitude. According to the findings, self-efficacy did not have significant influence on flood risk perception among strawberry growers. In total, the variables affecting flood risk perception could explain about 43% of the changes in this variable.

Discussion

    Findings of structural equation modeling about the factors affecting flood risk perception indicated that environmental attitude has a direct, positive and significant effect on the flood risk perception among strawberry growers. This finding which is in consistent with the results of studies by Azadi et al. (2019), Zobeidi et al. (2020) and You et al. (2019) confirms that by improving environmental attitude in society, people's risk perception can be increased. Therefore, by using measures such as creating organizations that support the environment and supporting them, as well as promoting a positive and supportive attitude towards the environment, people's risk perception can be increased, and as a result, it is expected that the vulnerability to this climate disaster will decrease. Findings also showed that the high responsibility of strawberry farmers has a positive and significant effect on the flood risk perception among them. This result, which is consistent with the findings of the studies of Majnouni-Toutakhane & Zaheri (2019), Perry & Lindell (2008) and Rickard (2013), shows that strawberry growers who consider themselves responsible for actions such as building, repairing and maintaining dams and preventing destruction of pastures have a higher flood risk perception. Therefore, it is suggested that policy-makers by strengthening social norms, increasing the power of risk-taking and assigning some tasks and tasks in flood control to strawberry growers provide the promotion of responsibility among them. Based on the findings, trust in meteorological and climate information has also had a significant effect on the flood risk perception among the studied strawberry growers. This finding is also consistent with the results of Azadi et al. (2019), Yazdanpanah & Zobeidi (2018), Majnouni-Toutakhane & Zaheri (2019), et al. (2015) Arbuckle, Ha et al. (2020) and Zhang & Li (2015). In relation to the mentioned variable, it is suggested that the Jahad-e-keshavarzi, meteorology and crisis management organizations gain farmers' trust through providing precisoin information, weather forecasts and news and documented and correct reports in relation to climatic fluctuations and the flood risks. The findings showed that the variable of knowledge about climate change, while having a direct, positive and significant effect on the perception of flood risk among strawberry growers, also had an indirect effect on this variable through environmental attitude. This finding is also congruent with the results of stuudies by Azadi et al. (2019), Yazdanpanah & Zobeidi (2018), Roder et al. (2019) and Zobeidi et al. (2020). In this regard, it is suggested that the experts, agricultural agents and educators involved in the promotion and training department of Jahad-e-keshavarzi organization improve the knowledge level of strawberry growers through interaction and participation with research organizations, strawberry research centers and universities and providing continuous and practical training.