Memory sources shape flood risk perception and agricultural decision among farmers in a drought-oriented irrigation district

This study examined how personal disaster experience, community communication, and media-based disaster comparison shape farmers' risk perception and planting intentions in the Hetao Irrigation District. Irrigation districts that have long been managed around water scarcity are increasingly confronted with rapid-onset flooding, creating new challenges for agricultural flood risk management.

The main finding is that recent flood experience now dominates local risk cognition in a historically drought-oriented irrigation system. Farmers who reported stronger disaster experience perceived higher future flood loss and were more likely to plan production contraction. By contrast, community communication was associated with greater willingness to expand, suggesting that local discussion networks support coordination and confidence rather than simply amplifying fear.