Identifying local strategies for overcoming the economic conditions of drought-affected villages from the perspective of local communities (the case of Kooh Khajeh Rural District, Hamoon County)

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Identifying local strategies for overcoming the economic conditions of drought-affected villages from the perspective of local communities (the case of Kooh Khajeh Rural District, Hamoon County)

Abstract

The existence of long and exhausting droughts is one of the problems that has weakened and sometimes destroyed rural economic structures, and the response of local communities can help to improve them relatively. For this reason, the aim of the present study is to identify local strategies for overcoming the unfavorable economic conditions of villages affected by drought in Hamoon County, which was carried out from the perspective of local communities. The research method is descriptive-analytical and applied in terms of purpose. Documentary and field methods (open questionnaire) were used to collect information. The statistical population of the study in 12 villages of Kooh Khajeh Rural District, Hamoon County, included 84 rural elites (7 people in each village) who were selected by purposeful selection method. Super Decision, SPSS, one-way ANOVA and Tukey software were used to analyze the data. Using qualitative coding and designing open-ended questions from the elites of the studied villages, local strategies for overcoming unfavorable economic conditions were identified and all strategies were weighted and ranked based on frequency and priority of response. The results of the research show that a total of 48 strategies in economic, social, and environmental dimensions are effective in overcoming unfavorable economic conditions resulting from drought. The results of the one-way analysis of variance test showed differences in the level of responses of local rural communities for the strategies, and the results of the Tukey test also confirmed the level of class differences in the villages.



Extended Abstract

Introduction

The villages of Kooh Khajeh Rural District, Hamoon County, Sistan Province, have not been spared from this crisis and are severely affected by the economic consequences. The drying up of the Hirmand River and Hamoon Lake in the last two decades has destroyed the economic structure and caused a catastrophic spread of poverty in the villages of the region. Some groups of villagers are no longer able to endure the hardships and are leaving their homeland. In this regard, using the perspectives of local communities in resolving or reducing the problems in these villages is certainly of great importance. The present study, recognizing that top-down planning in the world is usually not successful, seeks to use the perspectives of local communities to identify effective local strategies for overcoming the unfavorable economic conditions for the arid crisis-stricken villages of this rural district. Understanding these strategies in different dimensions and prioritizing them will be a roadmap for planners so that by implementing them, the economic situation of the villagers will be improved and indiscriminate migration from these villages will be reduced.



Methodology

The coding method was used in qualitative research to identify, determine and analyze the appropriate local strategies of local communities to overcome the unfavorable economic conditions of the study area. In this regard, the present study, in the first step, examined and conducted field observations in the villages under study and identified traditional and active economic activities in the existing natural conditions of the villages.

The data of this descriptive and analytical study were collected based on field observations and a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study is 12 villages inhabited by the people of Kooh Khajeh Rural District, Hamoon County. The population of participants included theoretical and empirical experts with the criterion of theoretical saturation sampling. Accordingly, in each village, 7 respondents who had specialized, experimental and executive capabilities were interviewed, and a total of 84 people in the rural district were questioned. SPSS, Super Decision, one-way variance and Tukey tests were used for data analysis.



Discussion and Results

To overcome the unfavorable economic conditions from the perspective of the local communities of the arid villages studied, 48 strategies were identified in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. In each dimension, the local strategies presented indicate the necessities that planners should follow based on priority. An examination of the total scores of local economic, social, and environmental strategies from the perspective of the local communities of the villager’s shows that the economic dimension with a total score of 616 is the highest, and the environmental dimensions with a score of 581 and the social dimensions with a score of 568 are in the next ranks. An examination of the results of the one-way analysis of variance test shows the difference in the level of responses of the local rural communities to the strategies. The results of the Tukey test also confirm the level of difference in the strategies in the villages studied.

Conclusion

Currently, many of the executive strategies that are being implemented in a centralized manner have not been able to solve the economic problems of the villagers in the region, and unfavorable economic conditions still exist in the villages of the region. Certainly, paying attention to local strategies provided by local rural communities with a bottom-up strategy can be effective in reducing, eliminating, and ultimately increasing the level of local satisfaction.



Keywords: Identifying local Exit Strategies, Sistan Drought, Unfavorable Economic Conditions, Local Communities, Villages of Kooh Khajeh Rural District.