Three faces of climate change: Using Q-methodology to understand farmers’ perspectives of climate change and adaptive capacity in Bangladesh’s wetland areas

Abstract

Even though the weather-dependent agricultural sector is severely impacted by climate change and requires more adaptive measures, climate change adaptation in the global south is slow. The perception of farmers, who are the final decision-makers, strongly influences the adoption of climate-smart technologies and the (un)willingness to follow recommended measures. Although perception studies have attracted the international community’s interest, these studies have disregarded the heterogeneity within the farming community. Our study uses Q-methodology to address this gap by examining small-scale farmers’ perspectives on climate change and their perceived adaptation capacity in wetland areas of north-eastern Bangladesh. Following post-sort interviews, 36 farmers were invited to participate in the Q-sorting using 34 pre-selected statements. The study revealed three distinct types of perspectives on climate change and adaptive capacity: theists who believe in the act of God and take a “do nothing” approach, realists who believe in climate change but are unaware of climate change trade-offs, and pragmatists who recognize climate change and actively pursue adaptations. The awareness of different climate change perspectives can support policymakers and extension service providers. By replacing their one-size-fits-all approach, they can better assist wetland farmers in developing and implementing tailored adaptation strategies.