دانشگاه تهران پژوهش های روستائی 2008-7373 17 2 2026 07 23 Communication Dynamics between Agricultural Extension Agents and Farmers with Disabilities: The Socio-Economic Evidence Communication Dynamics between Agricultural Extension Agents and Farmers with Disabilities: The Socio-Economic Evidence 105450 10.22059/jrur.2024.374385.1929 FA Mark Arhin University of South Africa, South Africa 0000-0003-3896-4502 Michael Akwasi Antwi Department of Agriculture and Animal Health, University of South Africa 0009-0009-1495-1230 Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum Department of Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness and Extension Faculty of Agriculture College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, KNUST 0000-0003-1657-1409 Joan-Ark Manu Agyapong Department of Management, University of Cape Coast, Ghana 0000-0003-1398-8831 Journal Article 2024 03 26 Several studies have been conducted in the area of extension service delivery and farmers with disabilities. There is, however, a lack of in-depth investigation conducted on the dynamics of communication between farmers with disabilities and agricultural extension agents, specifically in the Ghanaian context, limiting the development of targeted interventions and support mechanisms. This gap hinders the effective dissemination of vital information, resources, and assistance needed by farmers with disabilities to enhance their productivity, livelihoods, and overall well-being. Therefore, there is an urgent need for research to fill this gap and enhance inclusivity and support for farmers with disabilities in Ghana's agricultural extension services. The researcher conducted a nationwide study on farmers with disabilities in all sixteen regions of Ghana to acquire full and impartial knowledge of the issues of this group. The research employed a deductive approach, a quantitative methodology, a survey technique with a cross-sectional time horizon, and a positivist philosophy. The Ghana Statistical Service, GSS (2020) conducted an agricultural census in 2017/2018 and recorded 122,209 individuals as farmers with disabilities (FWD) from the sixteen regions of Ghana. These made up the study's population. Using the sample size formular by Krejcie and Morgan (1970), 386 respondents were determined. By requesting an exhaustive list of all farmers with disabilities from the Department of Social Welfare and the Department of Agriculture in the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in each of Ghana's sixteen regions, the researcher was able to use the simple random sampling technique to choose the sample. To address important areas on issues of communication in extension services for farmers with disabilities, a well-designed survey instrument was established. The data collection tool underwent comprehensive validation from University of South Africa agricultural extension specialists. A group of knowledgeable enumerators and sign-language interpreters were tasked with collecting data from farmers who had speech disabilities for this study. Three enumerators, three sign language interpreters, and the researchers made up the crew. The enumerators were chosen based on their vast experience in delivering agricultural extension services, ability to interact in local languages, academic experience, and their previous interactions with the populations we were studying. We organized a three-day training session to help them familiarise with the questionnaire and the goals of the study. This was held before the data-gathering process. To make sure that every team member fully understood the questionnaire, researchers led this session. This meeting guaranteed the consistency of the data gathered and helped establish a common data collection methodology. With a three-month duration for data gathering, every one of Ghana's sixteen regions was thoroughly covered. The methodical strategy, which included baseline testing and focused training, ensured the validity of the study's conclusions as well as the reliability of the collected data. The statistical programme SPSS Version 28, intended for use by social scientists, was used to analyse the data. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. In describing the communication between farmers with disabilities and extension agents, we used a five point likert scale, ranging from very poor (1), poor (2), average (3), good (4) to very good (5) to measure respondents’ opinion. We used frequency and percentage to summarise the results. In analysing the source of agricultural information for farmers with disabilities, we used frequency and percentage to analyse it. The factors influencing farmers with disabilities' communication with agricultural extension agents were examined using the one-way ANOVA test. The one-way ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test is a statistical method used to compare the means of three or more groups to determine if there are statistically significant differences between them. In the context of examining the factors influencing communication between farmers with disabilities and agricultural extension agents, the one-way ANOVA test was used to analyse whether there are significant differences in communication based on different factors. We first identified the factors that may influence communication between farmers with disabilities and agricultural extension agents. These factors were age, gender, education, type of disability, source disability, head of household, FBO membership, non-farm activity, and experience in farming (Gomda et al., 2021). Once the factors were identified, we categorised the respondents into different groups based on their communication experiences with extension agents. This data included information on the communication between farmers with disabilities and agricultural extension agents. With the data collected, we then used the one-way ANOVA test to analyse whether there are significant differences in communication between the different groups of farmers. The rationale for using the ANOVA test on the variables lies in its ability to assess whether there are statistically significant differences in means among three or more groups. In the context of analysing variables such as communication quality between Farmers with Disabilities (FWDs) and Agricultural Agents, the ANOVA test allowed us to determine if there are significant differences in ratings across the different categories (very poor, poor, average, good, and very good). The ANOVA test calculated an F-statistic, which compared the variation between groups to the variation within groups. If the F-statistic is greater than expected by chance, it indicates that there are significant differences in communication between the groups. Results show that extension officers are the primary source of information for farmers with disabilities (18%). The communication between FWDs and agricultural agents reveals a rather less than satisfactory experience (57%). Age, gender, type and source of disability, FBO membership, non-farm activity, and experience in farming all emerge as significant factors shaping communication dynamics between farmers with disabilities and extension agents. Extension officers should receive specialised training on inclusive communication strategies and disability awareness so that they will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage with FWDs, accommodate their diverse needs, and provide tailored assistance and information. Effective communication between agricultural extension agents (AEAs) is essential for the dissemination of information, adoption of new technologies, and overall improvement of agricultural practices. However, the communication dynamics may vary significantly when interacting with farmers with disabilities (FWDs), who often face unique challenges and barriers to accessing information and resources. In this study, we explore the dynamics of communication that exist between AEAs and FWDs. We used a cross-sectional study and collected data from 386 FWDs who were selected from all the 16 regions in Ghana. We used both descriptive and inferential statistics to analyse the data. Results show that extension officers are the primary source of information for FWDs (18%). The communication between FWDs and agricultural agents reveals a rather less than satisfactory experience (57%). Age (1%), gender (5%), type of disability (1%), source of disability (1%), Farmer Based Oorganisation membership (1%), non-farm activity (5%), and experience in farming (1%) all emerge as significant factors shaping communication dynamics between farmers with disabilities and extension agents. Extension officers should receive training on inclusive communication strategies and disability awareness so that they will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to effectively engage with FWDs, accommodate their diverse needs, and provide tailored assistance and information.

دانشگاه تهران پژوهش های روستائی 2008-7373 17 2 2026 07 23 Water Scarcity, Irrigation Infrastructure, and Smallholder Citrus Viability under Climate Stress in South Africa’s Limpopo Province: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis Water Scarcity, Irrigation Infrastructure, and Smallholder Citrus Viability under Climate Stress in South Africa’s Limpopo Province: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis 109157 10.22059/jrur.2026.417716.2132 FA Samuel Joseph CAES, University of South Africa (UNISA) 0009-0003-6127-6705 Journal Article 2026 07 02 IntroductionWater scarcity represents the primary and most binding biophysical constraint on agricultural production in the semi-arid Limpopo Province of South Africa. This province is a critical contributor to the national economy, accounting for approximately 60% of South Africa's multi-billion Rand citrus export industry. Despite this high commercial importance, climate change projections indicate that southern Africa will experience significant increases in temperature, heightened evapotranspiration rates, and an intensification of drought frequencies, which collectively threaten the long-term viability of irrigation-dependent farming systems. Emerging smallholder citrus farmers are particularly vulnerable within this landscape, as they often operate with sub-optimal on-farm infrastructure and must navigate a highly complex institutional environment governed by the permit-based water use licensing system of the National Water Act of 1998. While technical performance on the production side is vital, the full financial and economic implications of physical water quantity limits and escalating water recurrent costs (comprising bulk water tariffs and increasing electricity costs for pumping) have remained insufficiently quantified in a unified frontier framework. This study addresses this gap by isolating the dual impacts of physical and financial water resource constraints on production and profit efficiency among smallholder citrus producers.MethodologyThe study was executed across five district municipalities within the Limpopo Province: Mopani, Vhembe, Capricorn, Waterberg, and Greater Sekhukhune. Primary cross-sectional data were obtained through face-to-face interviews with a stratified random sample of 220 registered citrus smallholder production units (Production Unit Codes or PUCs). The survey instrument comprehensively captured input quantities (water in kilolitres, fertiliser in kilograms, labor in person-days, and farm area under cultivation) as well as their corresponding financial cost structures, water licence status, irrigation system conditions, and adoption profiles of climate adaptation strategies. Methodologically, the study relies on the simultaneous estimation of a stochastic frontier production function and a normalized profit frontier model, adhering to the standard Battese and Coelli (1995) specification. This approach addresses multi-collinearity and specification bias by mapping the frontier parameters and the inefficiency components within a single-stage maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) sequence. The production frontier isolated the elasticity of output relative to physical inputs, while the normalized profit frontier evaluated economic performance by expressing net profits as a function of input prices normalized against the prevailing citrus market price.Results and DiscussionThe maximum likelihood estimation results for the production frontier revealed that physical water quantity is the single most dominant predictor of citrus output in the study area, exhibiting a highly significant input elasticity of β = 0.671 (p < 0.001). This magnitude underscores that a 10% increase in seasonal water allocation could improve production output by 6.71%, confirming water as an absolute binding constraint that surpasses the productive elasticities of fertilizer (β = 0.312, p < 0.03) and labor (β = 0.187, p < 0.05). On the financial side, the normalized profit frontier demonstrated that water cost is a powerful negative predictor of profit, yielding a highly significant coefficient of α = 0.365 (p < 0.001). Together with fertilizer cost (α = 0.380, p < 0.001), these two resource costs account for over 40% of the total explained variance in farm-level normalized profit. The mean profit efficiency across the full sample was estimated at 0.74, indicating a 26% efficiency gap that could be captured through improved resource management without adding extra land. Crucially, the study linked these efficiency discrepancies directly to on-farm infrastructure status: 48.6% of the producers still rely on low-efficiency furrow or flood irrigation, whereas micro-sprinklers and drip irrigation were used by 34.1% and 17.3% respectively. Drip irrigators achieved a superior mean profit efficiency of 0.83, compared to just 0.68 for furrow users. Furthermore, 62.3% of the units were operating below optimal irrigation performance due to inadequate maintenance. Institutional bottlenecks were also visible: only 42.7% of the farmers held formal water use licenses, and these formal license holders achieved a statistically significant profit efficiency advantage (0.786) over those with pending or informal arrangements (0.706). Ordinal logistic regression confirmed that severe water access insecurity significantly suppresses the adoption intensity of broader climate adaptation strategies (OR = 0.51, p < 0.001).ConclusionThis study provides clear empirical evidence that water scarcity and infrastructural deficiencies significantly depress both the technical output and the commercial profitability of smallholder citrus units in Limpopo Province. To secure the long-term viability of this export-oriented sector under intensifying climate stress, policy interventions must move beyond generic farming support toward structured, resource-specific programs. First, the Department of Water and Sanitation must implement administrative reforms to clear the severe multi-year water use license application backlogs, as legal tenure reduces operational risk and unlocks input credit. Second, public climate adaptation funds must be channeled toward targeted irrigation technology upgrades—specifically transitioning farmers away from wasteful furrow systems into pressurized drip and micro-sprinkler frameworks. Finally, agricultural water pricing mechanisms must be carefully calibrated to buffer smallholders against rapid price escalations, ensuring that tariff structures reflect resource scarcity without eroding the fundamental economic viability of vulnerable emerging producers.Keywords: Citrus production, profit efficiency, water governance, water pricing reform, South Africa agriculture, stochastic frontier, horticultural economics, climate change adaptation This study employs stochastic frontier analysis to estimate the production and profit efficiency implications of water quantity constraints and water cost escalation among 220 citrus smallholder production units surveyed across five district municipalities in Limpopo Province. Maximum likelihood estimation results for the normalised profit frontier model reveal that water quantity is the dominant negative predictor of production outcomes (coefficient beta = 0.671, p < 0.001), while water cost is the second largest positive predictor in the profit function (beta = 0.365, p < 0.001) after fertiliser cost (beta = 0.380, p < 0.001), together explaining over 40% of the explained variance in normalised profit. Mean profit efficiency is estimated at 0.74, with water access insecurity identified as the primary driver of profit efficiency shortfalls in the sub group of farmers scoring below the 0.60 viability threshold. Analysis of irrigation infrastructure conditions reveals that 62.3% of sampled production units operate below optimal irrigation system efficiency, and that inadequate water access was rated the most severe adaptation barrier in the dataset, with a mean Likert severity score of 4.2 out of 5.0. Ordinal logistic regression confirms that water access insecurity is the second strongest negative predictor of climate adaptation intensity (OR = 0.51, p < 0.001). These results carry direct implications for the South African National Water and Sanitation Master Plan, agricultural water pricing reform, and the integration of irrigation infrastructure investment into the country’s climate adaptation strategy for commercial horticulture.

دانشگاه تهران پژوهش های روستائی 2008-7373 17 2 2026 07 23 The Cultural Biography of Water in Rural Iran: Water Rituals and Relational Ontology The Cultural Biography of Water in Rural Iran: Water Rituals and Relational Ontology 109160 10.22059/jrur.2026.422651.2149 FA Journal Article 2026 09 09 Water in rural Iran has historically been more than a material substance or an economic resource. It has been embedded in ritual practices, social relationships, moral obligations, gendered classifications, and cosmological understandings through which communities interpret both abundance and scarcity. Springs, qanats, rain, rivers, wells, and even water-related animals and objects may acquire social identities and become participants in relationships between humans and the more-than-human world. Yet such practices are often interpreted either as remnants of ancient religious beliefs or as symbolic responses to environmental uncertainty. This article proposes a different approach by examining the cultural biography of water and asking how water becomes socially meaningful through relationships, practices, and material engagements. Drawing on the concept of relational ontology, the article argues that water in rural Iranian contexts can be understood not simply as something people possess, manage, or worship, but as an entity whose identity and significance emerge through relationships with humans and other beings.The study adopts a qualitative ethnographic approach based primarily on fieldwork conducted in rural Iran between 2014 and 2018. Field observations and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with individuals selected for their knowledge of local water practices, ritual traditions, and community histories. Participants were identified through purposive and snowball sampling, with data collection continuing until theoretical saturation was reached. Ethnographic observations and oral accounts were complemented by documentary and secondary sources to corroborate reported practices and situate them within their historical and geographical contexts. Rather than treating individual rituals as isolated curiosities, the analysis considers them as interconnected practices through which communities negotiate drought, uncertainty, water availability, social obligations, and relationships with nonhuman entities.The analysis identifies four broad forms of rain-making practice: supplication, appeasement, defiance, and combinations of these strategies. Supplicatory practices involve prayer, recitation, devotional performances, ritual objects, dolls, stones, songs, and appeals to supernatural powers for rainfall. Appeasement practices seek to satisfy or negotiate with supernatural or more-than-human entities through offerings, food, sacrifice, or reciprocal acts. Defiant practices are more confrontational, involving ridicule, ritual inversion, physical punishment, the disruption of sacred or socially valued objects, and symbolic acts intended to pressure the supernatural agent responsible for withholding rain. Combined practices simultaneously employ supplication and confrontation, revealing that ritual responses to drought cannot be reduced to a single theological or psychological logic.These practices transform drought from a physical condition into a social and moral crisis. Rain is represented as something that can be requested, negotiated, encouraged, challenged, or restored through social action. Rituals therefore create temporary relationships among villagers, supernatural beings, animals, objects, landscapes, and water itself. Their apparent irrationality or theatricality becomes intelligible when understood as forms of relational practice rather than as failed attempts to explain meteorological processes. The article then examines the gendering and personification of water sources. Ethnographic accounts demonstrate that qanats and springs may be perceived as male or female according to their physical qualities, behavior, sound, purity, mineral composition, or relationships with other water sources. In some cases, water is imagined as seeking, attracting, stealing, or marrying other water. The practice of water theft illustrates this relational character particularly clearly: the movement of water between sources is represented through the language and actions of interpersonal relationships, transforming hydraulic circulation into a socially meaningful event.The most striking case is the practice of qanat marriage, in which a drying qanat is symbolically married to a human woman. The case of Aunt Zobeideh in Arak demonstrates that this was not merely a ritual performance but an institution involving marriage negotiations, collective responsibility, material allowances, and long-term obligations. Her relationship with the qanat connected water availability with gender, kinship, food distribution, economic change, and the maintenance of hydraulic infrastructure. The transformation of her nafagheh from wheat into money and other goods further demonstrates how the cultural biography of water changes alongside broader transformations in rural political economy.The article draws on anthropological approaches to cultural biography, relational ontology, and relational understandings of human–nonhuman personhood. Following the broader ontological turn in anthropology, particularly the work of Descola, relations are treated not simply as interactions between already constituted entities but as processes through which entities acquire particular identities and significance. From this perspective, the gendered spring, the married qanat, the rain-making stone, and the qanat fish are not merely symbolic representations imposed upon an otherwise objective natural world. They are constituted within networks of practical, moral, ritual, and material relationships. The article therefore avoids interpreting these practices as survivals of a supposedly primitive worldview or reducing them to symbolic expressions of environmental anxiety. Instead, they are understood as historically situated ways of relating to water in which humans and nonhumans participate in shared fields of obligation and agency.The article argues that the cultural biography of water in rural Iran reveals a relational world in which ecological uncertainty, cultural meaning, social obligation, and material practice are mutually constituted. By bringing rain-making rituals and qanat marriage into a common analytical framework, the study demonstrates how water can move across categories of nature, society, gender, economy, and personhood. Understanding these relationships contributes to a more nuanced anthropology of water and provides a culturally grounded account of how rural communities have historically experienced, interpreted, and negotiated hydrological uncertainty. Water in rural Iran is not understood solely as a material resource but also as a socially and culturally constituted entity embedded in relationships among humans, supernatural beings, animals, objects, and water systems. This article examines the cultural biography of water through ethnographic accounts of rain-making rituals and the marriage of qanats to human women. Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted in rural Iran between 2014 and 2018, complemented by documentary and ethnographic sources, the study identifies four forms of rain-making practice: supplication, appeasement, defiance, and combinations of these strategies. These practices reveal how drought is transformed from a physical condition into a social and moral crisis that can be addressed through prayer, offering, reciprocity, confrontation, and ritual inversion. The article then examines the gendering of water sources and the practice of qanat marriage, showing how qanats may be understood as male or female beings and incorporated into systems of marriage, kinship, obligation, and economic exchange. The case of qanat’s wife in Arak, demonstrates how ritual personhood could also generate material mechanisms for supporting both women and hydraulic infrastructure. Drawing on anthropological approaches to cultural biography and relational ontology, the article argues that these practices should not be understood as survivals of a primitive cognitive stage. Rather, they represent dynamic ways of relating to water in which ecological uncertainty, cultural meaning, social obligation, and material practice are mutually constituted.

دانشگاه تهران پژوهش های روستائی 2008-7373 17 2 2026 07 23 Farmers' lived experiences in coexistence with the Bisheh Dalan wetland: a phenomenological study تجارب زیسته کشاورزان در هم‌زیستی با تالاب بیشه دالان: یک مطالعه پدیدارشناسانه 104064 10.22059/jrur.2025.379626.1969 FA کبری پیرداده بیرانوند دانشجوی دکتری توسعه کشاورزی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه یاسوج مصطفی احمدوند دانشگاه یاسوج 0000-0001-8852-5861 آیت اله کرمی گروه مدیریت توسعه روستایی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه یاسوج، یاسوج، ایران 0000-0001-5285-0785 مهدی نوری پور گروه مدیریت توسعه روستایی، دانشکده کشاورزی، دانشگاه یاسوج، ایران. 0000-0003-0315-2141 Journal Article 2024 07 20 Extended Abstract IntroductionWetlands, as essential ecosystems, play a crucial role in community development and in enhancing environmental quality. These ecosystems are highly vulnerable to environmental changes and serve as vital resources for both human populations and wildlife. The first step toward wetland conservation is to understand the nature of human–environment interactions. This entails analyzing the impacts of human activities on these ecosystems, implementing appropriate conservation strategies, and educating local communities on the ecological significance of wetlands. Accordingly, the present study investigates farmers’ lived experiences to develop a deeper understanding of the reciprocal relationship between humans and wetlands and to clarify the responsibilities and actions required for the protection of the Bisheh Dalan Wetland.MethodologyThis study is applied in purpose, descriptive-analytical in approach, and qualitative in nature. The research began with a review of theoretical foundations related to the Bisheh Dalan Wetland in Lorestan Province, followed by a qualitative approach involving fieldwork to collect the lived experiences of local residents. The primary method of data collection was semi-structured interviews with local farmers who had direct experience with the wetland and were willing to share their perspectives. Purposive sampling was employed and continued until theoretical saturation was reached, yielding a total of 18 interviews. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim for analysis using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. The data were extracted, conceptualized, and coded through iterative readings, which enabled thematic categorization to illuminate various dimensions of the phenomenon under investigation.This thematic analysis is grounded in phenomenological epistemology and aims to uncover the essence of participants’ lived experiences. Ethical principles were strictly observed throughout the research, with particular attention to maintaining confidentiality and securing informed consent from all participants.ResultsThe thematic analysis resulted in the identification of 631 significant statements, 689 conceptual codes, and 222 subcategories. These subcategories encompassed farmers’ experiences, definitions, memories, behaviors, and expectations related to the wetland and their broader environmental interactions. This classification was organized around five dimensions of farmers’ perceptions, grounded in a phenomenological framework.The findings indicated that participants recalled the former economic significance of the wetland for the region and perceived its natural condition as more favorable in the past. At present, a marked decline in conservation efforts and attention was observed. Participants recalled past experiences of more effective water management and maintenance practices, which had contributed to the ecological health of the wetland. In contrast, inadequate contemporary management has diminished the utilization of wetland resources by local villagers. In terms of self-definitions, participants reported that their economic and livelihood conditions were more favorable in the past, whereas they currently face more adverse circumstances. Regarding expectations, participants expressed hope for the restoration and improvement of the wetland’s condition. Overall, villagers currently engage in less sustainable practices related to water extraction and land use compared to the past. Discussion and ConclusionIndustrial development has significantly degraded ecosystems, placing environmental protection at the forefront of global priorities. Wetlands, in particular, demand sustainable management owing to their critical ecological functions. The findings indicate that despite the growing discourse around ecocentric perspectives, most farmers living near the Bisheh Dalan Wetland predominantly adopt an anthropocentric worldview. They tend to value the wetland chiefly for its economic utility, rather than recognizing its ecological significance. Despite Bisheh Dalan’s rich biodiversity, it faces multiple challenges, including inadequate conservation practices, ineffective water management, and unauthorized agricultural activities. Addressing these challenges requires strategic planning and active community engagement. Adherence to conservation principles and the implementation of sustainable water use practices are essential to maintaining ecological balance. Key strategies should encompass habitat restoration, environmental education, and the formulation of robust environmental policies. Promoting alternative and sustainable livelihoods may alleviate pressure on natural resources, while collaborative governance structures can foster deeper community involvement. Finally, integrating scientific research with indigenous and local knowledge systems can yield more effective and culturally appropriate conservation strategies that support long-term ecological sustainability.FundingThis research received financial support from Yasouj University, which covered the doctoral dissertation expenses of the first author.Authors’ ContributionAuthor 1: Responsible for sample preparation, data collection, data analysis, and initial drafting of the manuscript.Author 2: Primary dissertation supervisor; contributed to research design, oversaw all stages of the study, and was involved in the revision, editing, and finalization of the manuscript.Author 3: Co-supervisor of the dissertation; contributed to the review and validation of findings and participated in manuscript revision and finalization.Author 4: Dissertation advisor; reviewed and revised the manuscript.Conflict of InterestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for Education and Graduate Studies at Yasouj University for providing both financial and institutional support for this research. We also extend our appreciation to the peer reviewers and scientific advisors whose constructive feedback greatly contributed to improving the quality of this work. تالاب‌ها به عنوان یکی از مهمترین بوم‌سازگان، نقش ارزنده‌ای در حفظ تنوع زیستی و تأمین منابع آب کشاورزی و جوامع پیرامونی ایفا می‌کنند و نیازمند حفاظت‌اند. از این رو، در مطالعه حاضر، به بررسی تجربة زیسته کشاورزان برای درک عمیق‌تر تعاملات متقابل انسان و محیط با تمرکز بر تالاب بیشه دالان و شفاف‌سازی مسئولیت‌ها و اقدامات لازم برای حفاظت از آن پرداخته شده است. برای به تصویر کشیدن تجربیات زیسته کشاورزان در هم‌زیستی با تالاب از روش پدیدارشناسی کیفی و نمونه‌گیری گلوله برفی یا ارجاع زنجیره‌ای استفاده شده‌است. شرکت‌کنندگان، کشاورزانی بودند که تجربه زیستة تعامل با تالاب را داشته و علاقه‌مند به بیان آن بودند. ابزار گردآوری داده‌ها، دستورالعملی نیمه ساخت یافته بود. مصاحبه‌ها با استفاده از مراحل هفت‌گانه روش کُلایزی، تجزیه و تحلیل و منجر به استخراج 631 عبارت کلیدی، 689 مفهوم و 222 دسته شد که در 17 درون‌مایة مرکزی تدوین شدند. یافته‌ها نشان داد که کشاورزان وضعیت نامناسب تالاب را نسب به گذشته درک نموده‌اند. فزون بر آن، بررسی ادراک کشاورزان از منظر پنج حیطة تجارب، تعاریف، خاطرات، انتظارات، و رفتارهای آنان منتهی به شناسایی 42 مضمون (با در نظر گرفتن تکرار) شد. با توجه به اهمیت تالاب بیشه دالان برای کشاورزان و جوامع محلی، ضروری است که اقدامات فوری برای احیای آن انجام شود. این امر مستلزم همکاری و مشارکت همه ذینفعان از جمله کشاورزان، نهادهای متولی، متخصصان محیط‌زیست و سازمان‌های غیردولتی و مردمی است.