Determinants of farmers’ adaptation to climate change in rain-fed agriculture of Pakistan

Abstract

Rain-fed rural communities in Pakistan are susceptible to climate change. Their reliance on agricultural productivity is marred by inadequate adaptive and response capabilities, making them vulnerable to accompanying challenges. This paper examines the farmers’ perceptions about the looming threats emanating from climate change. The study scrutinizes response options and strategies for action. It mainly focuses on the determinants, which characteristically influence the farmers’ decision-making to cope with the looming challenges. The current study was carried out in the rain-fed contextual settings of Chakwal District in Pakistan. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 475 households. The multivariate probit model was deployed for assessments and inferences. The findings formulate that a sizeable majority (96%) of farmers is conscious about the consequential impacts of weather and climatic anomalies. The irregular rainfall pattern was identified as the leading cause of concern (86%) among the respondents. Besides this, the households also tackle the abnormalities such as hail storms (73%), irregularities in the durations of summer (72%), and winter (71%) seasons. The respondents rely on several strategies ranging from changes in planting dates (76%) to compromises over the education of children (33%) to ameliorate ensuing stresses. The findings substantiate that the level of education, size of the land held, household income, exposure to information, and access to extension services determine the farmers’ adaptation choices. However, financial constraints and lack of institutional support were adjudged as the cardinal hurdles. Therefore, integrated efforts in terms of technical, financial, and institutional support are obligatory for the social-economic resilience of such rain-fed agrarian communities.