Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Department of Agricultural Management and Development, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Reclamation of Arid and Mountainous Regions, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran
3
The Division of Economic Research, Hamedan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, , Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Ministry of Agriculture- Jahad ,Hamedan, Iran.
10.22059/ijas.2024.376148.654013
Abstract
Rangelands worldwide are vast and crucial to the global economy and millions of people's livelihoods. However, they face serious climate threats, leading to their degradation, which has become a major environmental and social issue. One key problem is that livestock farmers in the grazing system are becoming more vulnerable to climate change. This research was conducted as a survey to investigate the challenges livestock farmers face in adapting to climate change within grazing systems in Tafresh County. Employing a quantitative research approach, 116 livestock farmers were randomly selected from a population of 901 for interviews, with 115 completed questionnaires analyzed. Data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis using the partial least squares method with SMART PLS3 software, confirming the model's reliability and validity. A 48-item scale using a five-point Likert scale assessed the challenges livestock farmers face in adapting to climate change, categorized into social, economic, and environmental challenges. The findings revealed that social challenges (β=0.822) were the most influential, followed by environmental challenges (β=0.788) and economic challenges (β=0.667), impacting livestock farmers' ability to adapt to climate change in grazing systems in Tafresh County. To enhance adaptation efforts, it is crucial to implement watershed and soil protection plans and carbon sequestration projects, promote collaboration, and facilitate knowledge exchange among formal and informal institutional stakeholders. Embracing innovative solutions is essential to strengthen livestock farmers' resilience to climate change's impacts.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)