Pathway to sustainable food security through agricultural and non-agricultural diversification: A case study of rural areas surrounding the Tehran Metropolis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This study examines the role of farmers' empowerment in promoting the diversification of agricultural and non-agricultural activities and its subsequent impact on sustainable food security in the rural areas surrounding the Tehran metropolis. Drawing upon empowerment theories and sustainable food security framework, the research employs a descriptive-quantitative methodology, utilizing survey data collected from 400 farmers across 37 villages. The findings show that the empowerment process through education, knowledge and skills development, resource access, and institutional strengthening significantly impacts the diversification of activities, economic resilience, and sustainable food security. Moreover, diversification emerges as a mediating mechanism that reinforces critical dimensions of food security, including environmental-ecological, socio-economic, political-cultural, and infrastructural sustainability. Multiple linear regression analyses and Kendall's tau-b tests confirm positive and significant relationships between empowerment, diversification, and food security indicators. This study provides new insights into rural development strategies by empirically validating a conceptual model linking empowerment to diversification and sustainable food security. It concludes that empowering farmers and expanding livelihood diversification are mutually reinforcing pathways essential for achieving sustainable food security and resilient rural communities in peri-urban regions. The findings offer practical implications for rural policymaking and planning and emphasize the need for integrated empowerment and diversification policies to address structural challenges in rural contexts.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Researches in Earth Sciences
Volume 16, Special Issue - Serial Number 64
Special Issue
December 2025
Pages 115-132

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