Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD Candidate, Department of Geography & Rural Planning, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Rural Planning, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Iran
Abstract
In recent years, climate change has not only altered rainfall patterns and air temperatures but has also significantly influenced agricultural production cycles, water resources, and food security. These transformations have led many rural areas to experience reduced income, out‑migration, infrastructure damage, and threats to livelihoods. Under such circumstances, rural resilience emerges as both a practical and scientific response that empowers communities. Rather than focusing solely on eliminating hazards, this approach emphasizes strengthening local capacities to adapt to evolving environmental and socio‑economic conditions. The present study aims to assess the resilience of rural communities to climate change and to examine the impacts of this phenomenon on the various dimensions of resilience in Mashhad County. A survey research design was adopted, utilizing a structured questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. The questionnaire’s validity was verified through expert evaluation, and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The statistical population comprised 11,706 rural households in Mashhad County. Using Cochran’s formula, 372 households were selected through multi‑stage stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. For data analysis, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and one‑sample t‑test analyses were employed. The results indicate that the mean values for all dimensions of resilience—social, economic, infrastructural‑physical, environmental, institutional‑managerial, and psychological—were below the desirable threshold value of 3, with significance levels less than 0.01. Furthermore, SEM analysis revealed that climate change exerts a negative effect (path coefficient = −0.88) on the resilience dimensions of local communities in Mashhad County. Therefore, strengthening community resilience requires a multidimensional, integrated, and locally adaptive strategy that concurrently enhances economic, social, psychological, institutional, infrastructural, and environmental capacities
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