Farmers’ Flood Risk Perception in Turkey: The Case of Mersin Province

Abstract

Understanding perception of the farmers’ flood risks has become increasingly important. This study aimed to evaluate the flood risk perception of farmers by constructing a farmer risk perception score based on eight statements. Data was gathered from 250 randomly selected farmers and analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and binary logistic regression. Based on the flood risk perception score, the farmers were classified into two groups, and the results revealed that 46.00% of surveyed farmers had a high level of flood risk perception. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that seven factors, including gender, age, household size, children, farm size, insurance intention, and flood experience, had a significant impact on farmers’ flood risk perceptions. The findings of this study may aid government organizations and farmers in enhancing their flood risk management strategies.

Keywords: Flood disaster; Risk perception score; Turkey