Socio - Economic Characteristics of Farmers Influencing Adaptation to Climate Change: Empirical Results from Selected Homegardens in South Asia with Emphasis on Commercial Orientation

Abstract

Climate change is considered one of the most challenging current global issues. Adaptability to changes is considered as one of the two major approaches to face the impact of climate change. This study examined the type of adaptation strategies used by the homegardeners in selected locations of South Asia and evaluated the extent to which the choices of such strategies are influenced by the socioeconomic characteristics of the homegardeners. Data for 368 homegardens in five locations in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka were collected through a household survey. Commonly used adaptation strategies by the farmers were examined to identify the level of adaptability of homegardeners to the probable impacts of climate change. A binomial probit model was estimated using pooled data to identify the factors determining the probability of adoption, considering the tree crop diversity of the garden, ownership of livestock, perceptions on climate change, level of education, number of years living in the village, experience in farming, location and commercial orientation as the explanatory variables. The results of the estimation revealed that commercial orientation, perceptions on climate changes, years of experience of the homegardeners, and location significantly influence the probability of adoption of a strategy. The results indicate that the policies and programs to improve adaptation to climate change should consider location specific and household specific characteristics. Sri Lanka Journal of Advanced Social Studies, Vol 2:No. 2, July – December 2012; Page 71-90 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljass.v2i2.6208