Investigating Desertification and its Effects on the Living Conditions of Farmers (Case Study: Agricultural Lands Around the City Of Sorkheh)

Today, the expansion of human activities in nature has exposed large areas of the country to desertification, which has caused widespread negative economic, social, and cultural consequences. This research aimed to investigate desertification and its effects on the living conditions of the farmers of Sorkheh city. The statistical population included the farmers and the sample size was determined using Cochran's formula 97 questionnaires were completed and comparing residents' attitudes was used to analyze the items and components of the research. Also, information and quantitative data related to rainfall, temperature, underground water status, agricultural land surface, income, and number of livestock of farmers were collected and prepared and used to investigate the occurrence of desertification, complete and analyze the results. According to the results, in the last two decades, the amount of rainfall has decreased, the temperature has increased, the level of underground water has decreased, and the area of land suitable for agriculture has decreased. According to the opinion of 86.6% of the statistical sample, desertification can be seen in the form of qualitative and quantitative reduction of underground water resources, reduction of access to surface water, soil salinity, reduction of the fertility of agricultural lands, and reduction of vegetation mainly in the area. Also, the effect of desertification on the economic and socio-cultural status of the studied community has an average attitude of 3.27 (attitude: moderate) and 2.80 (moderate attitude), respectively. According to the results, the most important socio-cultural and economic effects of desertification on the living of Sarkheh farmers are the decrease in the willingness of farmers' children to marry, the reduction in the willingness of farmers to continue farming, the increase in immigration, the increase in unemployment, the decrease in the area of agricultural land and the decrease in farmers' income.
 
Extended Abstract
1-Introduction
Desertification causes 42 billion dollars of annual damage to agricultural products. In most of the arid and semi-arid regions of Iran, we witness various processes of desertification, which in addition to affecting the basic water resources, soil, and vegetation, affect the economic and social status of the society, especially the rural communities whose livelihood depends on natural resources. Sorkheh, on the margin of the central desert of Iran, is one of the regions with an arid climate and a sensitive and fragile ecosystem. Available information and field visits indicate the abandonment of many agricultural lands around it, especially in the last ten years, and the occurrence of desertification with forms such as the reduction of agricultural land fertility and soil salinity. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to study desertification and its effects on the economic, cultural, and social status of farmers, so that based on the understanding of the prevailing conditions and their consequences, basic solutions to prevent further expansion of abandoned agricultural lands, appropriate management and exploitation of these areas can be provided.
 
2-Materials and Methods
The studied area was agricultural lands on the margin of Sorkheh city with an area of approximately 5000 hectares and an arid climate. The statistical population of the research included farmers whose agricultural lands are located around Sarkheh. The research was carried out in two parts: documentary and library studies and field studies. After determining the problem, first, the conditions and signs of desertification were studied. The questionnaire was designed in two parts, in the first part demographic data, and in the second part 28 questions about the occurrence of desertification and its effects on the economic, social, and cultural conditions of farmers in the region. To identify the most important effects of desertification, the economic and cultural-social aspects of this phenomenon were studied and analyzed. Also, to investigate the occurrence of desertification in the region, rainfall, underground water level, and agricultural land area indicators were investigated and their changes in the period of 2013-2021, which can indicate the occurrence of desertification, were determined. In addition, the changes in livestock and farmers' income in the mentioned period were investigated and together with other data were used to analyze the results of the questionnaires as quantitative data.
 
3- Results and Discussion
Studies related to the population showed that during the last two decades, many agricultural lands and lands around the city of Sorkheh have been changed for urban development, and as a result, the area of agricultural and garden lands has decreased. For this reason, most of the young people have turned to other jobs, and this caused 62.88% of the statistical sample to be over 55 years old. Due to the difficulty of agricultural activities, 97.93% of the statistical sample were men, and 95.88% were married. The literacy level of more than 60% of the statistical sample was below diploma. Examining the main occupations of agricultural land users showed that 31.96% of the statistical sample stated this job as their main job and 68.04% of them chose this job as a second job to get more source of income.
Investigating the occurrence of desertification in the region from the point of view of farmers using 11 questions based on desertification indicators such as the condition of underground water, soil salinity, the area of fertile agricultural land, the amount of crop production, etc. showed that 86.6% of the statistical sample believed that desertification has occurred in the studied area. The decrease in the amount of rainfall, increase in temperature, decrease in the level of underground water, and decrease in the area of land suitable for agriculture also confirmed this issue.
The impact of desertification on the socio-cultural status of the society was investigated using 7 questions based on indicators such as migration, insecurity, willingness to marry among farmers' children, access to educational and health services, etc.  The average attitude for these questions is 2.80 (average attitude). This average attitude showed that desertification in the studied area has been able to affect the socio-cultural situation of the studied community to some extent.
The study of desertification as a factor affecting the economy of the farmers was done using 10 questions based on indicators such as income, amount of agricultural and livestock production, agricultural costs, variety of economic activities, etc.  The average attitude based on these questions is equal to 3.27 (attitude: moderate), which shows that desertification has affected the economic conditions of farmers in the region. Quantitative data related to the changes in the number of livestock, farmers' income, and the amount of production of agricultural products also confirmed this issue.
Undoubtedly, arid areas are more exposed to desertification compared to other areas due to their fragility and greater sensitivity to the exploitation of water, soil, and vegetation resources. Therefore, the consequences of desertification are also greater in them. Desertification was mainly seen in the form of qualitative and quantitative reduction of underground water sources, reduction of the water supply of wells and canals, reduction of access to surface water, soil salinity, and reduction of agricultural land fertility around the city of Sorkheh.  Its most important economic, social, and cultural consequences included the decrease in the willingness of farmers' children to marry, the decrease in the willingness of farmers to continue farming, the increase in the desire to migrate, the increase in unemployment, the decrease in the area of agricultural land, the decrease in farmers' income, and the increase in irrigation costs.
 
4- Conclusion
Because the studied area is one of the arid and fragile areas in terms of ecological conditions, it has been constantly affected and changed by factors such as population increase due to becoming the center of the city, urban development, more exploitation of basic resources, and the growth of industrial centers. These changes and transformations lead to changes in the use of agricultural and garden lands and turning them into urban areas, pressure on underground water sources, reduction of fertility, and increase in soil salinity. This puts maximum pressure on these sensitive areas. Also, desertification has serious economic and social consequences such as poverty, migration, unemployment, and insecurity