Determinants of Adaptation to Climate Change: A Case Study of Rice Farmers in Western Province, Iran

The decisions made by agricultural households to adjust to climate change (CC) in Iran are not well known. This study is intended to investigate the influence of perceptions and socioeconomic, institutional features on farmers’ adaptation decisions about CC, which constitute the hypothetical statements of the study. We undertook a survey of 200 farm householders from 31 villages of Ilam Province, situated in the western Iran, as randomly selected. The result discloses that the proposed discriminant model matches the data-set well, with a strong effect size of partial eta-squared (η2 = 0.38). The analysis further signals that adapters are younger and more well-educated than non-adapters. Adapters are also knowledgeable about CC risks and institutional policy barriers. The adapters have subsidiary work, better access to credit, and have good contacts with expansion agents and specialists. The paper concludes that government authorities should provide farmers with the enriched capabilities and competencies enabling them to adapt to CC.