Factors affecting the adaptation behavior of farmers to floods: (Case study: Aligudarz county)

Floods have many effects on the aspects of the life of rural households, especially those whose livelihood depends on agriculture. During floods, much economic and social damage is caused to farmers and their livelihoods. Therefore, in order to reduce damages and increase the flexibility of farmers to the negative consequences of floods, it is necessary to adopt flood adaptation strategies. Knowledge about farmers' perceptions, attitudes, and behavior towards floods can reduce their vulnerability and increase their adaptive response to floods. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the factors influencing the adaptation behavior of farmers to floods by using the protection motivation theory. The studied sample included 384 farmers of Aligudarz County, who were selected by a three-stage cluster sampling method. The result of structural equation modeling showed that the variables of perceived sensitivity, perceived intensity, response costs, response efficiency, and perceived self-efficacy explained %38 of the changes in farmers' adaptive behavior to floods. Also, the perceived self-efficacy variable with a value of 0.31 had the most significant effect on the adaptation behavior of farmers against floods. The findings of this study can help executive organizations such as agricultural jihad and natural resources to inform and train farmers to adapt to floods.