Iran-Water Resources Research

Iran-Water Resources Research

Investigating the Drivers of the Resilience Against Water Scarcity among Sefidroud Irrigation and Drainage Network Beneficiaries Using a Sustainable Livelihood Strategy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 M.Sc. Student of Rural Development, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
3 Associate Professor, Department of Water Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
Abstract
Guilan province is one of the hobs of rice production in Iran and most of the irrigation water for paddy fields in this province is supplied through the irrigation and drainage network of Sefidroud River. The decrease in Sefidroud river inflow to Guilan province and the improper management of water resources have caused the water shortage during the agricultural period. This research aimed at identifying and prioritizing drivers that affect the resilience of beneficiaries in Sefidroud irrigation and drainage network against water shortages using the indicators used in related researches and the opinion of sample experts. The sustainable livelihood is the strategy considered in designing the decision tree. This comprehensive decision tree includes five criteria, 17 sub-criteria, 55 sub-sub-criteria and 78 sub-sub-sub-criteria. A paired comparison questionnaire is used as the research tool which was completed by 15 sample experts and the collected data of which was analyzed using the gray hierarchical process and Excel software. The results showed that natural capital with a relative weight of 41.91% is the most important driver for the resilience of beneficiaries against water scarcity in Sefidroud irrigation and drainage network. Financial, physical, human, and social capitals were respectively ranked second to fifth. The sub-criteria of the amount of water that can be used for irrigation, the lack of water resources, and the perception of paddy farmers about water scarcity in the future, were identified as highly influential drivers on the resilience of paddy farmers against water scarcity under natural capital with relative weights of 36.67, 33.11, and 31.18 percent, respectively. The research findings can be a way forward in formulating an action plan for the resilience of network operators against water scarcity.
Keywords

Subjects


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  • Receive Date 17 December 2024
  • Revise Date 10 February 2025
  • Accept Date 12 February 2025