Legislation and Policy Capacities in Agricultural Water for Adapting to Climate Change in Iran

Climate change (CC) is a real challenge for the world. Iran lies in an arid part of the world and CC is adversely affecting its water resources and agriculture. Iran has taken various initiatives, enacting related laws and establishing policy measures, to respond to water scarcity and food security in the agricultural sector. This study was conducted to understand and explore Iran’s initiatives, especially through legislation and policy responses, to address water scarcity and food security under CC conditions. More specifically, it reviews and analyzes the laws and rules relevant to agricultural water management and food security for their capacity for adaptation to CC in Iran. It was found that most of the relevant laws and policy documents were established to improve water consumption patterns. However, the study identified that there are a limited number of laws and policy documents with respect to climate adaptation and mitigation for the agriculture sector. There is a need to establish special laws towards climate change adaptation and mitigation for the agriculture sector and to revisit and revise the existing laws and policy documents in this regard. Proper implementation of adaptation measures is another issue that is not fully or effectively addressed and supported by the national legislation.

کلیدواژه ها:

Agriculture ، climate change ، Development plan ، Laws ، Policy document ، Water management