In recent years, in some countries, especially Iran, drought as one of the harsh climatic – natural disasters, has had severe impairment directly and indirectly on water reduction and the agricultural and economic variables. Ardabil Province as an agricultural area has not been exempted from that. The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic impact of drought on the economy of rural areas in Hir County. This study is descriptive – analytical in terms of research methods, practical in terms of nature and is a library and field kind of research in terms of the type of data collection. The statistical population consists of 35 villages in Hir County, of which eight were selected for this research using stratified sampling. The tool used in measuring the questionnaire was made by the researcher. Face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. Pilot study in area similar to the statistical population with a total of 30 questionnaires were performed and with acquired data and use of Cronbach’s alpha formula, the reliability of the questionnaire was obtained at 0.87 in the SPSS software. For data analysis, factor analysis model was used. Also, the results obtained from factor analysis and studying farming and gardening products show that consecutive droughts have inflicted irreparable economic damages on the bodies of the villages in Hir County.
Keywords: Ardabil, Drought Management, Droughts, Iran, Rural Development, Rural Economy, Water Resources Management
