Document Type : Original Research
Authors
1
Holder of an MSc in Agricultural Extension and Education from Tarbiat Modares University
2
PhD Student in Agricultural Extension and Education at Tarbiat Modares University
3
Holder of a PhD in Agricultural Extension and Education from Shiraz University
10.22048/rdsj.2026.582549.2282
Abstract
In recent years, a combination of natural and human factors, including prolonged drought, decreased precipitation, overexploitation of water resources in desert regions, and the destruction of vegetation cover, particularly in the eastern areas of Iraq—has contributed to the intensification of the dust phenomenon. The western provinces of Iran are among the regions most affected by this phenomenon. The present study was conducted in 2025 with the aim of analyzing the effects of dust storms on farmers' attitudes toward the continuation of agricultural occupation in Gilangharb County. This research was a survey study, and data were collected using a questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was confirmed by the faculty members of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Education at Tarbiat Modares University, and its reliability was established through Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which ranged from 0.75 to 0.82 for different sections of the questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of 5,600 farmers in Gilan-e-Gharb County, from which a sample size of 357 individuals was determined based on the Krejcie and Morgan table. The samples were selected using stratified random sampling with proportional allocation. The results of correlation analysis showed that variables including health factors (0.599), economic factors (0.557), social factors (0.529), and environmental factors (0.544) had a significant positive relationship with the dependent variable of the study. Furthermore, regression findings indicated that four variables, health (0.415), economic (0.255), environmental (0.185) and social (0.178), had the greatest influence on farmers' attitudes toward the continuation of farming, respectively, and together explained 58.6% of the variance in the dependent variable. The findings of this research can be utilized by agricultural education managers, extension agents, curriculum planners, and rural development policymakers in designing educational and extension interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of dust storms on the sustainability of agricultural livelihoods.
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