The Social Construction of Drought among Farmers: A Case Study of the Central and Western Parts of Isfahan Province.

In this research, a socio-economic analysis of drought was conducted from the perspective of farmers in Isfahan Province. The research was based on an interpretive-constructive approach, and its method was qualitative. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The sample size was 35 farmers in the central and western parts of Isfahan Province who were selected based on the purposeful sampling of the maximum diversity. The basis for the completion of the interviews was theoretical saturation. To analyze the data obtained from the interviews, a systematic field theory analysis was done. The results of the study indicated that, from the farmers' point of view, drought is a multifactor phenomenon induced by multiple causes. In general, the farmers enumerated four main factors as the causes of drought, including ineffective water management, self-centered agriculture, climate change, and fatalistic causes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]