Adoption Of Adaptation Strategies Research Articles

Assessing Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptation Strategies among Sesame Farmers in Yobe State, Nigeria

The study was conducted on sesame farmers' perception of climate change on sesame production in Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State, Nigeria. A sample of 125 farmers was selected for the study. Data was collected on the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers, their perception of climate change, sources of information, their adoption of adaptation strategies, and their constraints on sesame production. Descriptive statistics such as means, percentages and Likert scale were used to analyze the data. The results show that male farmers (80.0%) dominated sesame production. The mean age was 35.03 years, and most (64.0%) farmers were married. Most (56.8%) respondents had an unfavorable perception of climate change. The primary source of information on climate change was other farmers (86.4%). Most (52.8%) respondents had a low adoption of climate change adaptation strategies. The majority (53.6%) of the respondents faced high constraints to sesame production. It was recommended that agricultural extension services be revived to disseminate climate change information to sesame farmers so as to improve their control measures to climate change with the view to enhance sesame production.

Territorial Pluralism in China: Local Water Users’ Adaptation Strategies in the South–North Water Transfer Project

China’s South–North Water Transfer Project has been questioned as it has resulted in significantly negative issues. Drawing on the notion of hydrosocial territories, this article examines the contested hydraulic configuration and counter-imaginaries from local water users’ perspectives and their specific adaptation strategies in the South–North Water Transfer Project. This article argues that local water users in a Chinese context can only adopt adaptation strategies that are determined by their socio-economic backgrounds. This has led to significant social and environmental injustice. Addressing these issues is crucial for tackling inequities in the South–North Water Transfer Project and achieving the ambitious development goals of the project.

From the farmers' point of view, how threatening and harmful are natural hazards? A Q methodology

Droughts, floods, and dust storms have increased the vulnerability of farm families in developing countries. Well-timed and effective interventions could reduce vulnerability to natural hazards. However, the adoption of adaptive strategies is significantly influenced by the farmers' viewpoints about the causes and effects of natural hazards and their perceived capacity to deal with these crises. This study employed the Q methodology to investigate farmers' viewpoints on vulnerability and adaptation to natural hazards in the Sistan Plain, Iran. The Q-sort procedure was conducted with the participation of 29 farmers, and the qmethod package in R software was used to analyze the Q-factor. The results revealed four types of perceptions regarding vulnerability and adaptation to natural hazards: passive-oriented, pragmatic activists, consequentialists, and change-averse. Different viewpoints demonstrate that farmers have divergent opinions regarding vulnerability and adaptation to natural hazards. Identifying these viewpoints can provide useful information for policymaking and the scaling up of specific adaptive strategies for each group, which can eventually enhance farmers’ resilience to natural disasters.

Impact of climate change on surface water resources in arid zones - the case of the Ykem watershed in the central plateau of Morocco

Given the importance of natural resources for integrated development, it is necessary to adopt adaptation strategies to face disturbances affecting the globe. Particularly, climate change, with a particular impact on water potential. The aim of this article is to highlight the impact of this world phenomenon on surface water resources in the Ykem watershed situated in the northwest of the central Moroccan plateau, which is characterized by predominantly arid conditions. In order to monitor the spatiotemporal evolution of surface water, a methodology based on geospatialization techniques was used. This involved mapping the evolution of surface water resources in time and space, providing a variation between reference years, specifically 2012–2021, from 132 ha to 32 ha, and of course interpreting the results by climate elements based on rainfall in the study area and temperature readings in this geographic location. Remote sensing was employed to acquire satellite images available between 1992 and 2021. The area covered by water rose from 10 ha to 126 ha between 1992 and 2012, but the amount of land covered by water shrank to 32 ha between 2012 and 2021.

Identifying Neighborhood Effects on Geohazard Adaptation in Mountainous Rural Areas of China: A Spatial Econometric Model

In mountainous rural settlements facing the threat of geohazards, local adaptation is a self-organizing process influenced by individual and group behaviors. Encouraging a wide range of local populations to embrace geohazard adaptation strategies emerges as a potent means of mitigating disaster risks. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether neighbors influence individuals’ adaptation decisions, as well as to unravel the mechanisms through which neighborhood effects exert their influence. We employed a spatial Durbin model and a series of robustness checks to confirm the results. The dataset used in this research came from a face-to-face survey involving 516 respondents residing in 32 rural settlements highly susceptible to geohazards. Our empirical results reveal that neighborhood effects are an important determinant of adaptation to geohazards. That is, a farmer’s adaptation decision is influenced by the adaptation choices of his/her neighbors. Furthermore, when neighbors adopt adaptation strategies, the focal individuals may also want to adapt, both because they learn from their neighbors’ choices (social learning) and because they tend to abide by the majority’s choice (social norms). Incorporating neighborhood effects into geohazard adaptation studies offers a new perspective for promoting disaster risk reduction decision making.

Uncovering the Hidden Risks: A Bibliometric Investigation of Farmers’ Vulnerability to Climate Change

Climate change is having a significant impact on farmers and agriculture. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, are causing crop failures and reducing yields. This study evaluated existing publications from 2006 to 2022, using the Web of Science database, Citespace, and the Bibliometrix package in R language for a systematic analysis. A total of 426 publications were identified, written by 1449 authors from 56 countries. The results showed that China has the highest share of publications (16.4%), followed by the United States (14.3%) and Australia (6.8%), with China and Pakistan collaborating most frequently. The keyword timeline analysis from 2006 to 2022 identified 11 clusters of research topics related to farmers’ climate change risk (CCRF). Cluster #1, “water conservation measures,” had the longest duration, highlighting its significance. Key areas of CCRF research include the vulnerability of land-lost farmers, farmers’ use of meteorological information, sources of risk, barriers to implementing conservation agriculture, farmers’ attitudes towards heavy metal pollution, and the use of protection motivation theory in agricultural adaptation. In conclusion, climate change poses significant threats to farmers, impacting crop yields, soil fertility, and water availability. Farmers adopt adaptation strategies, but effectiveness varies due to resource limitations and policy gaps. The research on farmer adaptation to climate change is growing, emphasizing the need for supportive policies, resources, and knowledge-sharing to achieve sustainable agriculture and food security.

Modeling the potential impact of climate change on maize-maize cropping system in semi-arid environment and designing of adaptation options

Climate change is showing detrimental effect on crop productivity and food security. Adaptive strategies should be implemented to offset the negative impacts of climate change on the maize crop. There is concern that food insecurity will increase in Pakistan due to climate change. Hence, present study was conducted to quantify the response of maize yield to projected climate change and suggest adaptation options i.e., planting date, fertilizer use, fertigation, plant density and hybrid choice to counterbalance the impact of climate change using the CSM_CERES_Maize model. Field data obtained during spring and autumn seasons of 2016 was used to calibrate the model while evaluation was done using experimental data of 2016 and 2017. Afterwards, sensitivity analysis for carbon dioxide, temperature, water, and nitrogen (CTWN) variation was performed, and it was then applied to determine the impact of climate change on spring and autumn maize for mid-century. The results revealed that model performance was better for the spring season than for the autumn season. The model was sensitive to CTWN during the spring and autumn season of maize. Results showed that without adaptation, grain yield will be reduced in the spring (17 to 29%) and autumn (19 to 33%) seasons maize while adoption of adaptation strategies (e.g., Fertigation, sowing date adjustment (earlier sowing of spring maize by 15 days and delayed sowing of autumn maize by 20 days), higher thermal time requiring cultivars, increasing 10% plant population and 25 kg N ha−1 during mid-century) could increase grain yield during both seasons. Therefore, farmers should adopt these adaptation strategies so that negative impact of climate on maize yield could be reduced.

Farmers’ Knowledge of Adaptation Strategies to Mitigate Climate Change and Factors Influencing Their Adoption

Climate change has emerged as a global threat negatively affecting the productivity and production efficiency of agriculture systems thereby endangering food security and livelihoods of rural communities in most of the developing countries like India. Climate change and extreme climatic events have caused India’s agriculture production to decline and exacerbated food insecurity during the last few decades. Consequently, Indian farmers have developed indigenous practices to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture. This study aims at studying farmers’ knowledge of adaptation strategies, identifying the adoption of adaptation strategies and find out various factors influencing farmers’ adoption of adaptation strategies to cope up with climate change. The present study draws upon data collected through personal interviews with 180 farmers in one district of North-Western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The results showed that farmers knowledge of adaptation strategies was found to be medium; most common adaptation strategies employed were – change in sowing time/ date, crop diversification, inter/ mixed cropping, use of drought and heat resistant crop varieties, and short duration and early maturing crop varieties. Further, Using Karl Pearson Correlation, the results indicated that age, farming experience, landholding, annual income, information seeking behavior, scientific orientation, credit and subsidy orientation, decision making ability, extension contact were likely to affect their knowledge of adaptation strategies to cope up with climate change. The results of the present study will provide policy makers with new insights for the government and encourage agricultural extension services providers to promote location specific adoption of coping strategies so as to tackle the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture.

Climate change and agriculture in a coastal region: A case study of betel leaf cultivation in Sagar Island, Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas

Agriculture is a function of temperature and precipitation. Any change in these parameters, above and below the threshold value, will affect photosynthesis and transpiration in the crops, leading to an overall negative impact on agriculture, threatening global food security. Underdeveloped and developing worlds are most likely to be affected due to this situation because more than 80% of the population in this area is economically dependent on agriculture. With this background in mind, the present study attempts to delve into the impact of climate change on betel leaf cultivation in the study area because it forms the backbone of the local economy. Low lying coastal areas bear testimony of the primary evidences of climate change. The study area, therefore, is an ideal location to study the impact of climate change as it is situated in the path of frequent extreme weather phenomena. Such areas are particularly vulnerable to climate change in the form of sea level rise in response to increased precipitation resulting out of rise in temperature. The sensitivity of betel leaf to minor fluctuations in climatic parameters and its economic importance in the selected study area justifies the theme of enquiry. The present paper analyses meteorological data on temperature and rainfall along with field observation to investigate the issue. Given the sensitivity of betel leaf to such changes, an adverse impact on its production seems inevitable. However, findings of the present study prove otherwise. Firstly because the rise in temperature is less than 1.5 degree centigrade, which according to IPCC is the threshold value for impact on agriculture. Secondly, the adoption of adaptive strategies like use of fertilizer, soil treatment etc. practiced in the area largely offsets the adverse impact of climate change on crop production. However, the impacts are not entirely escapable.

Drivers and impacts of Eastern African rainfall variability

Eastern Africa exhibits bimodal rainfall consisting of long rains (March–May) and short rains (October–December), changes in which have profound socioeconomic and environmental impacts. In this Review, we examine the drivers and corresponding impacts of Eastern African rainfall variability. Remote teleconnections, namely the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole, exert a dominant influence on interannual variability. From the mid-1980s to 2010, the long rains have tended toward a drier state (trends of −0.65 to −2.95 mm season−1 year−1), with some recovery thereafter, while the short rains have become wetter since the mid 1980s (1.44 to 2.36 mm season−1 year−1). These trends, overlain by substantial year-to-year variations, affect the severity and frequency of extreme flooding and droughts, the stability of food and energy systems, the susceptibility to water-borne and vector-borne diseases, and ecosystem stability. Climate model projections of rainfall changes differ, but there is some consensus that the short rains will deliver more rainfall than the long rains by 2030–2040, with implications for sustaining agricultural yields and triggering climate-related public health emergencies. Mitigating the impacts of future Eastern African climate requires continued investments in agriculture, clean water, medical and emergency infrastructures, and development and adoption of adaptation strategies, as well as targeted early-warning systems driven by improved meteorological observations. Rainfall variability in Eastern Africa is associated with considerable social and environmental impacts, including threats to water, energy and food security. This Review outlines the drivers of this rainfall variability, their corresponding impacts, and potential future changes with anthropogenic warming.

Determinants of Farmers' Adaptation Intent And Adoption of Adaptation Strategies To Climate Change And Variability In Mwanga District, Tanzania.

Pegged on Protection Motivation Theory, a modified socio-cognitive model of private adaptation to climate change and variability was deployed in order to provide a better understanding of the determinants of small-scale farmers' adaptation intent and adoption of adaptation strategies in semi-arid lowlands of Mwanga District. In this regard, adaptation was conceptualized as a two-step process encompassing farmers' perceptions that climate was changing and farmers' response to changes. Basing on a pragmatic philosophy, a cross-sectional sequential explanatory mixed methods research design was deployed. During the first step-process, categorical data were collected through administration of a closed-ended survey questionnaire to 328 household heads. Binary and proportional odds logistic regressions were run through IBM SPSS (Version 20) in order to analyze categorical data for testing nine (9) null hypotheses. Statistically significant results were established when p values were < 0.05 at 95% confidence intervals. During the second step-process, qualitative data were generated through focus group discussions with 30 participants, in-depth interviews with 16 key informants, and participant observations and subjected to iterative thematic content analysis. The findings revealed that income, village's geographical location, farming system, membership to farmer-based group, competitive price for produce, credit, age, education, and extension service positively influenced farmers' adoption of adaptation strategies while workforce and perceived risk of rain on crop yields negatively influenced farmers' adoption of adaptation strategies. Thus, it was concluded that farmers' adaptation intent and adoption of adaptation strategies in the study area were largely explained by objective adaptive capacity rather than cognitive factors.

Smallholder coffee-based farmers’ perception and their adaptation strategies of climate change and variability in South-Eastern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Recent studies suggest that smallholder farmers’ perceptions rather than exact meteorological data strongly influence how they adapt to the changing climate. Therefore, we explored the climate change (CC) perceptions and adaptation strategies of coffee farmers in dependence on the meteorological data (1983–2020) along an elevation gradient (1,600–2,000 masl) in the Sidama region, Ethiopia. In total, 351 coffee farmers were randomly selected for household interviews, complemented with key informants (KIs), focus group discussions (FGDs), and field observations. Severity Index (SI) was computed to measure farmers’ perception of CC, followed by a Mann–Kendall test to ascertain climate trends. Weighted Average Index (WAI) was also used to rank adaptation strategies. We detected an increasing temperature and annual rainfall trend. Nevertheless, while farmers agreed on rising temperatures, they perceived rainfall reduction, contradicting the meteorological data. The highest SI was recorded for the rising temperature, followed by the uncertainty of rainfall distribution, increasing number of hot days, late-onset, and reduced amount of rainfall. The SI results with KIs and FGDs confirmed that weather events seemed more variable than in the past two to three decades and affected coffee production. As the most important CC adaptation strategies, the respondents practise agroforestry, application of compost, terrace construction, modification of farming calendar, and crop diversification. Our results also revealed that gender, education, farming experience, family size, access to agricultural and farmer-to-farmer extensions, and credit services affected adopting adaptation strategies. This study confirms that farmers’ perception is more important in shaping the applied adaptation strategies.

Indigenous people's perception of indigenous agricultural knowledge for climate change adaptation in Khumbu, Nepal

IntroductionThere is a dearth of empirical work on indigenous people's perception of the effectiveness of indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices for climate change adaptation, especially in the mountain region. Existing scholarships in Nepal are concentrated on people's perception of climate change and verifying the effects of socio-economic variables on adopting adaptation strategies. There is a lack of application of a socio-psychological model to scrutinize subjective and cognitive factors influencing adaptation.MethodsThis study aims to utilize the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to provide insights into the risk perception of climate change and the perception of adaptation efficacy of indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices. A randomly sampled questionnaire survey and focus group discussions were conducted in five villages in the Khumbu region of Nepal.Results and discussionThe results indicated that indigenous peoples had observed changes in seasonality, a decrease in snowfall frequency, and an increase in rainfall, posing a significant threat to their lives and livelihood. The perception of adaptation efficacy assessment disclosed that indigenous knowledge is effective in adapting to changing climatic conditions. It was found that the knowledge has been evolving and remains dynamic and relevant even in the backdrop of climate change. However, there is a lack of formal recognition of indigenous knowledge by the government authorities. Hence, the study's findings accredit the significance of indigenous knowledge. From the viewpoint of the generational succession of knowledge and devising cost-effective climate change adaptation strategy, it indicates a dire need for its incorporation into local climate policies and action plans.

Off-Farm Income Effect on Farmer Response to Climate Change in the Northern Region of Ghana

This study assessed the effect of off-farm income on maize farmers' responses to climate change in the Tolon district of Northern Region of Ghana. Using multi-stage sampling technique and semi-structured questionnaires, 150 maize farmers from five communities were interviewed. Heckman's treatment effect model was used. The result showed that majority had off-farm income that they received from trading. Furthermore, off-farm income has a significant effect on adoption of adaptation strategies. The majority of the farmers had perceived changes in the climate over the past decades and adaptation strategies practiced included changing planting date, changing crop variety, diversifying crop type, mixed cropping, and keeping animals alongside crop cultivation. Based on the findings from this study, government should provide enabling environment that will create and increase opportunities for farmers to engage in other income-generating activities that will provide them with additional income to procure necessary inputs and tools for appropriate response to the ongoing climate change problem.

Climate change adaptation of smallholders on the Tibetan plateau under government interventions

The increasing severity of climate change has posed a great challenge to smallholders' livelihoods. In addition to smallholders' autonomous adaptations, policy-makers need to consider how to make sound government interventions to help smallholders effectively adapt to climate change. This study aims to explore how smallholders adapt to climate change under government interventions, and in turn provide recommendations for the government to better promote smallholder adaptation. To achieve this purpose, 1552 household survey data were collected in four agro-pastoral regions of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A machine learning approach (boosted regression tree, BRT) was used to explore the factors influencing the adaption strategies of smallholders to climate change, especially the role of government interventions in this process. The results show that the smallholders mainly adopted four adaptation strategies (off-home activities, nature reclaiming farmland, raising more livestock, and crop management), while local governments helped them by providing subsidies, training, credit, insurance, and improved varieties; building roads and irrigation facilities; and organizing cooperatives. The results of the BRT model show that the natural capital indicators (elevation, farmland area) were still important factors influencing the smallholders' adoption of adaptation strategies, because natural capital reflects the livelihood basis of smallholders to some extent. The results also suggest that government interventions such as subsidies, cooperatives, and training played an important role in this process. Based on these results, we propose targeted policy recommendations to help local governments improve existing government interventions and to provide lessons for governments in other regions or countries to plan government interventions to promote smallholder adaptation.

Cameroon’s adaptation to climate change and sorghum productivity

Cameroon’s semi-arid zone (northern and far northern regions) is an important part of the local ecosystem that is vulnerable to climate change. This vulnerability raises concerns about rural households’ well-being. Adapting to this vulnerability could mitigate some of the negative effects, agricultural shocks, and catastrophic risks associated with agricultural ecosystem destruction. Thus, the goal of this paper is to assess the impact of climate change adaptation strategies on rural households’ sorghum productivity in Cameroon’s semi-arid zone. On 721 households’ secondary data, we used the endogenous switching regression model and the matching method. The results show that adopting adaptation strategies increases sorghum productivity in adapted households by approximately 21,99% more than in non-adapted households. In the absence of coping strategies, these households will lose 11,22% of their sorghum productivity. The importance of these findings adds to the debate about the need to implement climate change adaptation programmes and policies that address the concerns of all households.

Observed and CMIP6 simulated occurrence and intensity of compound agroclimatic extremes over maize harvested areas in China

Understanding the changes in the frequency and intensity of compound agroclimatic extremes is important for studying the resilience of the food system under anthropogenic warming. However, the spatiotemporal variation of compound agroclimatic extremes for specific crops, and the performance of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) simulations in reproducing them, have largely been under-addressed. Herein, we have investigated the spatiotemporal variation of the occurrences and intensities of four compound agroclimatic extremes (hot-wet, hot-dry, cold-wet, cold-dry) for maize harvested areas in China during 1990–2014 and examined the capability of the CMIP6 to capture these variations. The results did not reveal any significant trends but there was a pronounced interannual volatility in both the occurrence and intensity of compound agroclimatic extremes. Seventy one percent of the maize harvested areas in China experienced at least one compound extreme event during the study period. Hotspots for high occurrence and high intensity included the major plains in the Huang-Huai-Hai and southern China maize zones. In general, five general circulation models (GCMs) from the CMIP6 relatively poorly captured the variation of the occurrence and intensity, and reported lower interannual volatility and less regional disparity compared to the observations, and showed weakness in capturing time-specific events. At the national scale, the five GCM ensemble mean outperformed any single model, and no single GCM outperformed any other individual GCMs. The best model differed according to the specific region of interest and the type of event. Our results highlight the need to improve field management decisions and adopt adaptation strategies in accord with local conditions to reduce the potential impacts on food systems.

AMBIGUITY AVERSION AND INDIVIDUAL ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE: EVIDENCE FROM A FARMER SURVEY IN NORTHEASTERN THAILAND

Understanding the triggers of individual adaptation behavior is critical for empowering those who are highly vulnerable to climate change. This study explores the effect of ambiguity aversion on adaptation behaviors in the context of climate change. We conduct a field survey among 230 rice farmers in northeastern Thailand to examine the association between elicited ambiguity aversion and the implementation of climate change adaptation. We find that ambiguity aversion does not encourage farmers’ adaptation behaviors and can even discourage the uptake of adaptation strategies. The role of ambiguity aversion varies depending on the characteristics of the adaptation strategy: ambiguity-averse farmers are less likely to adopt adaptation strategies that entail shifts from the status-quo. A deliberate approach is needed to understand farmers’ adaptation behaviors outside the laboratory setting and to reduce ambiguity in the results concerning adaptation to increasing climate risk.

Assessment of household-level adaptation strategies to water stress in southwestern coastal Bangladesh: a counter-factual analysis

AbstractDespite the growing emphasis and global initiatives to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all (Sustainable Development Goal 6), households in coastal areas are at risk of growing water stress across the globe. However, little is known about households' adaptation strategies to water stress in coastal areas. This study explores the determinants and impacts of adaptation strategies to household-level water stress (both drinking and non-drinking), considering the behaviors of adopters and non-adopters in the southwestern coastal area of Bangladesh. We applied an endogenous switching regression model by analyzing questionnaire survey datasets (n=502) to estimate the effect of adopting adaptation strategies on household-level water stress in four saline-prone coastal sub-districts of Bangladesh. Results reveal six commonly-practiced adaptation strategies: reducing vegetable production, reducing livestock production, paying more to access water, increasing time for water collection, preserving water, and using reservoirs to collect water. Determinants such as migration, support from government and non-government agencies, age, gender, literacy, occupation, income, access to tube wells, and distance from drinking water sources play a significant role in adopting adaptation strategies. Results from the endogenous switching regression model denote that adopting all six adaptation strategies appears to significantly reduce household-level water stress. Through counter-factual analysis, results demonstrate that, on average, households that did not adopt adaptation strategies would have encountered less water stress if they had. Therefore, determinants that stimulate adaptation strategies will indirectly reduce household water stress.

Farmers’ Perceptions of Land Degradation and Adaptation Strategies Adopted by Farmers in the Geographical Area of Bagaroua in Niger

The study was conducted in the commune of Bagaroua, (Tahoua region). The Tahoua area has agro-climatic characteristics favorable to agricultural production. This area is now threatened by the rapid degradation of its natural resources due to climatic hazards and human activities. It is in this context that the present study proposes to analyze the perceptions of farmers on land degradation and the adaptation strategies of producers faced with the impact of this degradation. The data was collected by interview using a questionnaire submitted to 254 agricultural producers sampled using the formula n=t&amp;sup2; *p*(1-p) /m&amp;sup2;. The results showed that agricultural producers clearly perceive the manifestations of soil degradation by the appearance of glacis with percentages by 66% of respondents; formation of &amp;ldquo;erosion&amp;rdquo; ravines (13.17%); presence of pebbles and sandy bulge (10.07%). Farmers perceive the impacts of this soil degradation through parameters such as the reduction in cultivable areas (12%); attacks by crop enemies (7%); increased food insecurity (32%); the influx of able-bodied young people to big cities (11%) inside and outside the country and delinquency (6%). This situation puts the population in a situation of extreme poverty (16%), indebtedness (8%) and conflicts between households (8%). Faced with this shock, producers adopt adaptation strategies, the most widespread of which are, among others, the use of water and soil conservation techniques, the use of organic and mineral manure, the use of improved varieties early.