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Abstract
The changing climate poses a great challenge to many wetlands productivity worldwide. Rice production in wetlands is a major source of livelihood in developing countries such as Rwanda. This study aimed at determining the factors influencing adaptation methods when farmers perceive the changing climate at Bugarama Wetland Rice Scheme in Rwanda. A descriptive research design was used by this study, whereby quantitative and qualitative data was collected. The analysis was based on data collected from 300 selected farmers using systematic random sampling method. We employed descriptive statistics to assess how farmers perceive the effects of climate change and descriptively measured the new adaptation methods used by farmers in Bugarama to increase their yields. The study adopted Heckman two-step model to determine factors that influence adaptation choices, this analysis procedurally required farmers’ knowledge of perception that makes them respond to the effects of changes in climatic conditions by the use of new adaptation methods. The results deduced that level of education (p =0.019), extension access (p=0.001), market distance (p=0.002) and rice income (p < 0.001) had a probability of influencing farmers perceptions about climate change thus need to adapt. Based on the outcome model, results showed that extension access (p < 0.001), household size (p= 0.098), market distance (p= 0.047), rice income (p =0.032), farmers-to-farmers contact (p < 0.001) and effects of climate change on rice (p=0.038) had a greater probability of influencing farmers choice of adaptation method used to improve rice yields. To conclude, the study found that access to informational facilities and rice income, influenced farmers’ perceptions while extension access, rice income, market distance, farmers-to-farmers contact and effects of climate change on rice yield strongly had a probability of determining farmers’ choice of adaptation. This study recommends that the Rwandan government and local administrators need to develop a strategy that would allow farmers to access information facilities about new technology so as to adapt to the effects of climate change thus improve their rice yields.
Highlights
Lowland and marshy areas are the most potential yields of agriculture
The adaptation methods that were surveyed from the field were described and ranked descriptively by percentages
The descriptive statistics from the results showed that all farmers perceived and adapted to climate change in different ways
Summary
Lowland and marshy areas are the most potential yields of agriculture. changing climate has destroyed the marshland fertility, reducing crops yields. The impacts of climate change have led to farmers and researchers to identify some coping mechanism that would maximize the yield of crops in agriculture These adaptation options are employed by farmers depending on their socioeconomic capacity. There are many studies which have been done on factors determining the adaption options to be employed against climate change to improve yields (Ali & Erenstein, 2017; Amare & Simane, 2017; Asrat & Simane, 2018; Deressa et al.,2009; Ferdushi et al, 2019; Mabuku et al, 2019; Ojo & Baiyegunhi, 2019) which mainly described determinants of the choices This has limited the contribution of adaptation strategies and there is an urgency to strengthen new measures that can be employed by smallholder farmers of Bugarama. It can help policymakers gain perspective on the adaptation methods for rice farming and generally add literature to the scientific discipline
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