Farmers' initiative on adaptation to climate change in the Northern Agro-pastoral Ecotone

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change is an inevitable choice for human society. Farmers' perceptions and responses to climate change are key factors in coping with climate change to promote sustainable agricultural development. The Northern Agro-pastoral Ecotone, an ecologically fragile transition zone, has experienced a warm-drought trend, which has affected agricultural production greatly in recent decades. Using semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey about the farmers' perceptions on warm-drought climate change and their adaptation measures in the central part of the Northern Agro-pastoral Ecotone, we found that almost 100% of the farmers perceived the warm drought and its impacts, not only on agricultural production, but also on rural labor. Farmers adapted to the warm drought mainly by adjusting crop varieties and planting dates, utilizing water conservation and irrigation technologies. Delaying sowing time, introducing drought-resistant seeds, mulching, and irrigating were the most effective ways in which farmers adapted to the changing climate. In accordance with these findings, some strategies for adaptation are presented.