Validation of a model for gardeners' livelihood sustainability on the edge of Lake Urmia against late spring cold

   In this mixed methods research (qualitative-quantitative) in terms of paradigm, with an exploratory approach, the statistical population of the qualitative part included 22 experts and professionals in the field of horticulture, who were selected purposively. In the quantitative part, the population consisted of all the gardeners (n = 341) of the villages on the edge of Lake Urmia (LU), among whom 236 people were selected using stratified random sampling based on the village of activity with a proportional assignment. A sustainable livelihood model for small-scale gardeners on the edge of LU against late spring cold (LSC) was derived using the grounded theory. Theory extraction and coding process were performed by MAXqda18 software. Careful examination and linking between concepts and subcategories resulted in the identification of key subcategories, including six subcategories in the category of causal conditions, six subcategories in the category of background conditions, six subcategories in the category of intervening factors, four subcategories in the category of strategies, and five subcategories in the category of consequences. Finally, the validation status of the extracted model of the research was examined using AMOS₂₀ software, and the final model was confirmed based on the software's adjustment indices and the goodness of fit. The standardized regression coefficients determined that the livelihood of gardeners against LSC was mostly affected by the intervening conditions (β=0.47), followed by contextual factors (β=0.43) and causal factors (β=0.39), respectively. The results of the squared multiple correlations of dependent variables revealed that about 41% of the variance of the livelihood of small-scale gardeners on the edge of LU against LSC was explained by the involved predictor variables (causal conditions, contextual factors, and intervening factors).