Desert Management

Desert Management

Assessing the Resilience of Rural Settlements in Mahneshan Township Against Food Insecurity in Drought Conditions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Masumeh Mohammadlo 1
Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli 2
Jila Sajjadi 2
Mehdi Cheraghi 3
1 Ph.D. student, Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Human Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Faculty of Human Sciences, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran.
10.22034/jdmal.2024.2035159.1472
Abstract
One of the significant consequences of reduced resilience in human settlements, driven by climate change and drought, is the rise in food insecurity. The counties within Zanjan Province face varying degrees of drought severity. This study aims to evaluate the resilience of rural settlements to food insecurity under drought conditions. The research is applied in nature and adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. The statistical population comprises 122 inhabited villages, with a sample size of 30 villages from Mahneshan County. Data collection was carried out through library research and field observations, while data analysis was performed using spatial analysis tools within the GeoDa software. An assessment of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) revealed that the study area experienced seven mild wet years, seven mild droughts, and three moderate droughts. To investigate and measure food insecurity levels, raw data from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey of rural households, conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran from 2006 to 2022, were used to calculate the food insecurity index. The findings indicated that the average food insecurity index was 44.7%.
The lowest and highest levels were observed in the villages of Yousefabad (23.4%) and Ebrahimabad (79.3%), respectively. Furthermore, the results showed that, among economic resilience indicators, dependency ratio, employment rate, and economic participation had the most significant influence on resilience. Among social resilience indicators, gender ratio, population growth (1995–2045), and male literacy rate were key factors. In terms of environmental-physical indicators, the percentage of retrofitted housing, the proportion of unauthorized wells, and the percentage of authorized agricultural
wells had the greatest impact on enhancing village resilience to drought and reducing vulnerability to food insecurity. It is crucial for planners to prioritize these indicators to enhance resilience and mitigate food insecurity in rural areas. These regions, due to their heavy reliance on natural resources and agriculture, are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change and drought. Increased food insecurity can lead to migration, diminished economic and social welfare, greater pressure on limited resources, and, ultimately, a threat to the sustainability of rural settlements.
Keywords
Climate changes
Environmental hazards
Rural development
Zanjan Province

Subjects

  1. Dryzek, J. S., Norgaard, R. B., & Schlosberg, D. (Eds.). (2011). The Oxford handbook of climate change and society. Oxford University Press.
  2. Anderson, W., Taylor, C. R., McDermid, S. P., Ilboudo-Nebie, E., Seager, R., Schlenker, W., … & Markey, K. (2020). Characterizing the effect of drought, conflict, and locusts on food security in africa. PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square, 1-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-104065/v1
  3. Argaw, T. L., Fledderjohann, J., Aurino, E., & Vellakkal, S. (2023). Children’s educational outcomes and persistence and severity of household food insecurity in India: Longitudinal evidence from young lives. The Journal of Nutrition, 153(4), 1101-1110. DOI: 1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.008
  4. Beyene, F., Senapathy, M., Bojago, E., & Tadiwos, T. (2023). Rural household resilience to food insecurity and its determinants: Damot Pulasa district, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 11, 100500, 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100500
  5. Dunn Cavelty, M., Kaufmann, M., & Søby Kristensen, K. (2015). Resilience and (in) security: Practices, subjects, temporalities. Security dialogue, 46(1), 3-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2023.100524
  6. Economic Research Service. (2022). Definitions of food security. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/definitions-of-food security/
  7. Esmaeilnajad, M., Akbarpoor, M., Mekaniki, J., & Falsoleyman, M. (2018). Assessing the consequences of drought effects on food security and rural livelihoods, a case study; Rural farmers of Meighan Nehbandan district. Geography, 16(57), 5-18. [In Persian]
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2024). Hunger and food insecurity. https://www.fao.org/hunger/en/
  9. Haile, D., Seyoum, A., & Azmeraw, A. (2021). Does building the resilience of rural households reduce multidimensional poverty? Analysis of panel data in Ethiopia. Scientific African, 12, e00788, 1-19. DOI:1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00788
  10. Hoddinott, J. (2001). Methods for rural development projects. Food Security in Practice. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C.
  11. Hoddinott, J. (2014). Understanding Resilience for Food and Nutrition Security, 2020 Conference Paper 8, International Food Policy Research Institute, Wash-ington, DC, USA.
  12. Iran Meteorological Organization, (2017). https://www.irimo.ir/far/index.php [In Persian]
  13. Javadinejad, S., Dara, R., & Jafary, F. (2021). Analysis and prioritization the effective factors on increasing farmers resilience under climate change and drought. Agricultural research, 10(3), 497-513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40003-020-00516-w
  14. Karnik, H., & Peterson, H. H. (2023). Food security among low-income immigrant households and the role of social capital: A case study of Somali-American households in the Midwestern United States. Food Policy, 117, 102456, 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102456
  15. Lolemtum, J. T., Mugalavai, E. M., & Obiri, J. A. (2017). Impact of drought on food security in West Pokot County, Kenya. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 7(6), 742-750.
  16. Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child development, 71(3), 543-562. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00164
  17. Management and planning organization of Zanjan province (2019). Specialized and general database of villages. The dataset is available at: http://abepi.ir/lib/upload/files/amar_va_etalaat/bnketelaatomomi­&takhasosi/95BNKSRSH.971228.xlsx. [In Persian]
  18. Mitiku, A., Fufa, B., & Tadese, B. (2012). Empirical analysis of the determinants of rural household’s food security in Southern Ethiopia: The case of Shashemene District. Basic Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Review, 1(6), 132-138.
  19. Nahid, N., Lashgarara, F., Farajolah Hosseini, S. J., Mirdamadi, S. M., & Rezaei-Moghaddam, K. (2021). Determining the resilience of rural households to food insecurity during drought conditions in Fars province, Iran. Sustainability, 13(15), 8384, 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158384
  20. Orimoloye, I. R. (2022). Agricultural drought and its potential impacts: enabling decision-support for food security in vulnerable regions. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6, 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.838824
  21. Qtaishat, T., El-Habbab, M. S., Bumblauskas, D. P., & Tabieh, M. (2023). The impact of drought on food security and sustainability in Jordan. GeoJournal, 88(2), 1389-1400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-022-10702-8
  22. Rezaei, R., Hosseini, S. M., & Sharifi, O. (2011). Analyzing and Explaining the Effects of Drought in Rural Regions of Zanjan County (Case Study: HajArash Village). Journal of Rural Research, 1(3), 109-130. [In Persian]
  23. Riahi, V., & pashazadeh, A. (2014). Economic and social impacts of drought on rural areas in Germi (Case study: Rural district of Azadlu). Journal of Studies of Human Settlements Planning, 8(25), 17-37. [In Persian]
  24. Sabouri, G. (2014) Studying the changes in the climatic zones of Iran in the period of 2010-2099 under the phenomenon of global warming using micro-scale exponential general circulation models of the atmosphere. Master thesis of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Agriculture, Mashhad. [In Persian]
  25. Schanzenbach, D., & Pitts, A. (2020). How much has food insecurity risen? Evidence from the Census Household Pulse Survey. Institute for Policy Research Rapid Research Report, 1-10.
  26. Sharafi, L., & Zarafshani, K. (2011). Economic and Social Vulnerability Assessment among Farmers towards Drought (Case of study: Wheat Farmers Kermanshah, Sahne, and Ravansar townships) in. Journal of Rural Research, 1(4), 129-154. [In Persian]
  27. Smith, M. D., & Meade, B. (2019). Who are the world’s food insecure? Identifying the risk factors of food insecurity around the world. Amber Waves: The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America. DOI: 22004/ag.econ.302721
  28. World Meteorological Organization (WMO). (2012). SPI classification and their values. https://wmo.int
  29. Statistical Center of Iran (SCI). (2014). General Agricultural Census of Zanjan Province, 2014. The dataset is available at: https://amar.org.ir/statistical-information/. [In Persian]
  30. Statistical Center of Iran (SCI). (2021). Zanjan statistical yearbook. The dataset is available at: https://amar.org.ir/salnameh-amari/agentType/ViewType/PropertyTypeID/629. [In Persian]
  31. Zerihun, S., Mulugeta, M., & Abi, M. (2024). Rural household resilience to food insecurity in Majang Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia. F1000Research, 13(162), 1-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12688/­f1000research.142289.1
Desert Management
Volume 12, Issue 3 - Serial Number 31
6 Article
Autumn 2024
Pages 73-98

  • Receive Date 12 July 2024
  • Revise Date 27 September 2024
  • Accept Date 28 September 2024