Agricultural Adaptation Research Articles

Urbanization and farmer adaptation in the Bangkok Suburban area

Urbanization and farmer adaptation in the Bangkok Suburban area

The potential of local government support for climate change adaptation of lowland rice farming

Climate change has impacted the production and productivity of agricultural commodities, including rice as the main food crop. All parties must play an active role in overcoming climate change impact, coming under the local government. This study was carried out by performing focus group discussions (FGD) and filling out questionnaires to identify the potential, opportunities, and problems faced in supporting climate change adaptation. A SWOT analysis was employed by considering Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. The study was conducted in two regencies in Central Java Indonesia, namely Purworejo and Banjarnegara, where a climate change adaptation program has been initiated. Local government support is needed to get continuity of climate change adaptation. The results show that the potential of local government support for climate change adaptation should prioritize the Strength Opportunity (SO) strategy. The choice of SO strategy is based on various strengths owned by the local government and many opportunities which can still be reached by growing people’s awareness of climate change. The alternatives of local government support are providing information and appropriate innovations for climate change adaptation. Public awareness and willingness are means for successful adaptation. Physical program supports, such as infrastructure, should be equipped with non-physical programs and local regulations as reinforcement.

Scheduling of Irrigation Based on IW/CPE for Aerobic Rice – A Review

The scheduling of irrigation according to the ratio between irrigation water depth (IW) and cumulative pan evaporation (CPE) rate for aerobic rice. During these days, the shortage of water resources is increasing continually due to climate change. It has led to the adaptation of rice farming under aerobic conditions. This saves irrigation water, labour, eliminates puddling, reduces seepage, percolation losses, and methane emissions. Aerobic rice cultivars produce higher plant growth, physiological, root growth, yield, water use efficiency, productivity, and soil nutrient uptake under different (0.6, 0.8, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 2, and 2.5) IW/ CPE ratios. Under these irrigation schedules, the yield of rice in aerobic soil is recorded at between 4.5 and 7.1 t ha-1 and the water use efficiency is from 25 to 70 kg ha-1. However, the decline in yield or even crop failure under continuous monocropping, weeds, nematode problems, and aerobic rice micronutrient deficiency Our important findings in aerobic rice are: (1) Scheduling of irrigation based on various IW/ CPE ratios recorded the higher rice plant height, number of tillers hill-1, dry matter production, leaf area index, crop growth rate, relative growth rate, root length, productive tillers, number of grains panicle-1, number of filled grain panicle-1, total number of grains panicle-1, test weight and yield; (2) The last 15 years of aerobic rice research findings focused on irrigation scheduling by IW/CPE ratio for driving economic water use; and (3) nutrient uptake increased with irrigation at more than 1.0 IW/CPE ratio with depth of 5 cm irrigation water. Declining water availability due to climate change makes it necessary to conduct more research on irrigation scheduling in rice crops in order to increase yield and water use efficiency.

Banyumas and It’s Surround Region Farmers Adaptation to Three Years La-Nina 2020-2022

Normal rainy season follows the annual normal rain pattern, which takes place during the rainy season in tropical rain areas. During the last three years (2020–2022), the Banyumas Regency rainfall and its surroundings have been above normal. The significant rainfall fell in all months including May to October (dry season), so that that was a prolonged (La-Nina). To that, farmers made adaptations to crop cultivation and soil tillage with the aim of being able the land and cultivated plants productive. Related to this adaptation, survey research on La-Nina adaptation of farmers has been carried out. Survey research used a questionnaire interview technique of selected farmers groups: medium-highland (400–700 MASL) and lowland (50–250 MASL) of selected villages (Banyumas and Banjarnegara Regency. Data was processed by tabulation, descriptive analysis, and map. The selected villages were 21 villages with 66 respondents in this study. The results show: (1) the adaptation pattern of farmers obtaining adaptive rice varieties and vegetable crops, (2) organic fertilization lead land productive and adaptive La-Nina crops in three years, and 3) local wisdom, organic fertilizer, and selected adapted crops can be as a mix model farmer and region to adapt prolong rainy seasons.

Concurrent Precipitation Extremes Modulate the Response of Rice Transplanting Date to Preseason Temperature Extremes in China

AbstractUnderstanding how crop phenology responds to climate change is critical for enabling agricultural adaptation measures. Pre‐season temperature alone leads to well‐understood changes in crop phenology. Nevertheless, the modulation effect of concurrent precipitation extremes on the response to temperature extremes has been largely under‐addressed. Here, we investigate the response of rice transplanting dates to pre‐season temperature extremes and reveal the modulation effects of concurrent precipitation extremes by using station‐observed rice transplanting dates from 1981 to 2018 across mainland China. We also evaluate the performance of a remotely sensed phenology product, ChinaCropPhen1km, in reproducing the above temperature responses and modulation effects. Our results showed that transplanting dates tended to advance in response to an extremely hot pre‐season, while concurrent extreme drought offset the advance by up to 2.6 days. Transplanting dates tended to be delayed in response to an extremely cold pre‐season, while concurrent extreme precipitation exacerbated the delay by up to 1 day. Responses to temperature extremes and modulation effects were divergent across different regions. Under extremely hot conditions, transplanting dates advanced further in hotter and wetter regions, while under extremely cold pre‐seasons, transplanting dates delayed less in colder and drier regions. Transplanting dates from the ChinaCropPhen1km product underestimated the responses to temperature extremes by up to 4.7 days and detected the opposite modulation effect compared to those obtained from observations. Our results highlight that the need to improve our understanding and modeling of modulation effects of precipitation extremes on temperature–phenology relationship, which benefits the field of agriculture risk analysis and climate change adaptation.

Evaluating future changes in the South Indian Ocean Convergence Zone projected by CMIP5 models and associated uncertainty

Southern Africa relies heavily on precipitation for agricultural purposes; therefore, spatial and temporal changes in precipitation are crucial to identify and understand. The South Indian Ocean Convergence Zone (SIOCZ), a large-scale, austral summer rainfall feature extending across southern Africa into the southwest Indian Ocean, is evaluated in future projections. Using a best-fit algorithm, future projections of the SIOCZ are determined, which indicate a northward shift of approximately 120 km in CMIP5 models under RCP8.5. A dipole pattern of precipitation wetting/drying is evident, where wetting occurs to the north of the climatological axis of maximum rainfall, implying a northward shift of the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, consistent with the SIOCZ shift. Common drivers responsible for model changes include enhanced warming in the northern Indian Ocean in line with the ‘warmest-get-wetter’ sea surface temperature hypothesis, which impacts circulation by transporting moisture away from the SIOCZ towards the equator. Most CMIP5 models exhibit drying trends over the SIOCZ region, with mechanisms driving uncertainty related to diverse warming trends across models. Empirical orthogonal function patterns of future precipitation changes across CMIP5 models exhibit a pattern much like the SIOCZ, which is related to inter-model changes in future temperature changes. Reductions in model spread are established in SIOCZ projections, whereby model processes of change exhibit agreement, despite differing initial SIOCZ conditions. Therefore, model process convergence and coherence are established with respect to projected changes in the SIOCZ, irrespective of initial climatology biases. Understanding future changes in this feature will help inform decision-making for water and agriculture adaptation planning in southern Africa.

The financial value of seasonal forecast-based cultivar choice: Assessing the evidence in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Among many other options, seasonal weather forecasts and the use of cultivars that are better adapted to local climate and climate variability have been discussed as two potential supporting measures to assist farmer adaptation to climatic variability and change. In this article, we evaluate the potential benefit of combining these two measures, i.e., choosing specific crop varieties based on seasonal forecasts – focusing on the Central Rift Valley in Ethiopia. We base our value of information analysis on the available records of field trial data for publicly released crop varieties. We find that experimental evidence must be extended and improved in order to provide reliable evidence of yield performance differences between crop varieties, which is an essential prerequisite for exploiting forecast information. Classification of cumulative seasonal rainfall based on the modified Rainfall Anomaly Index provides a sharper distinction than using the standard tercile-based approach employed in the Ethiopian seasonal forecast communication. Even with a fairly optimistic interpretation of the evidence with respect to exploitable yield differences, we find only modest benefits of seasonal forecasts at realistic forecast accuracy for the region. Given the empirical limitations when assembling long-run yield data, the presented results have to be understood as a first approximation. Apart from sufficiently accurate forecasts, success of forecast-based cultivar choice will depend on (i) more reliable evidence on performance differences between crop varieties under different weather conditions, and (ii) changes in the current seed breeding and distribution system in developing countries, because the full potential of high-accuracy seasonal forecast information could only be tapped, if forecast-matching cultivars are being made available to farmers in time.

DECISION-MAKING PERSPECTIVE ON DIVERSIFYING FARM SYSTEMS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND PROMOTING ORGANIC AGRICULTURE

Climate change adaptation refers to natural or human systems changes in response to current or predicted climatic stressors or their consequences. For example, farmers may adapt to unexpected floods, irregular rainfall, or temperature changes. Effective adaptation planning requires data on the effects of real farmer adaptation on agriculture yields. However, analyzing the consequences and outcomes of adaptation and providing practice recommendations can be challenging. The effectiveness of facilitating learning among participants about adaptation practice and planning can be assessed using a social learning-based evaluation methodology. Climate-smart agriculture, which involves adapting to and anticipating shifting weather patterns, can increase agricultural production. A mixed, diverse or diversified system can better withstand the effects of climate change. Successful adoption of technology and environmental and social concerns has been demonstrated in decent agriculture practices in every agro-ecological zone.

An online Indigenous Knowledge Database on Climate Change Adaptation of Farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta

Background and objective: For countries vulnerable to climate change as Vietnam, indigenous knowledge (IK) might assist in revealing the values of local people's adaptations to environmental stresses and potentially support decision-making. Despite IK can provide the adaptive capacity of local people's activities within environmental contexts, but it is rapidly vanishing. This study aimed to describe the documentation of IK associated with climate change adaptation of farmers in the Vietnam Mekong Delta (VMD).Methods: We focused on collecting and establishing online access to IK documents through collaboration between IK holders, public sector, collecting institutions, and researchers in the five agro-ecological zones of the VMD. An online IK database for storing IK documents has been designed and implemented based on the web application schema.Results: Through interviews, we gathered IK from farming practices that are well-adapted to climate risks such as floods, droughts, and saltwater intrusions as well as traditional knowledge being used to forecast weather, flood, and saltwater intrusion. The database for storing IK documents has been successfully deployed using free and open-source software. The database currently contains more than 260 IK documents, with their location on agro-ecological zones displayed on a web-based map.Conclusion: We have captured and provided an online access to IK on climate change adaptation of the farmers in the VMD. This research is expected as an initial strategy for long-term sustainable development of the agriculture system in this region.

Climate Adaptation in Rain-fed Agriculture: Analyzing the Determinants of Supplemental Irrigation Practices in Nepal

Climate change has severely impacted the rain-fed agricultural production system which is dominant in Nepal. This situation demands implementable strategies like supplemental irrigation for mitigating adverse impacts. In spite of the importance of supplemental irrigation, it is not adopted on a wider scale. Hence, this paper aims to assess perceptions of climate change and identify factors that influence the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices. Climate change impact survey data for Province No. 1 (one of the seven provinces in Nepal) with a sample of 800 households were analyzed by using the probit regression model. The results showed that the majority of the farmers perceived increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation, resulting in climate-induced disasters such as drought. Similarly, only about 27% of the households have adopted supplemental irrigation practices. The significant factors influencing the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices were the household head’s number of years of farming experience and education level, distance to motorable roads, operational size of landholding, membership in community-based organizations, and the perception of changes in summer temperature. Considering the empirical results, it is necessary to undertake research on sustainable practices and develop support measures for scaling up this practice as the adoption of this practice is very low in Province No. 1. The policy and strategy should also emphasize enhancing the capacity of farmers in technical and managerial aspects of supplemental irrigation practices, raising awareness about climate change and its impact, and strengthening community-based organizations for sharing and exchanging knowledge and skills. In addition, creating additional employment opportunities to enhance the income of the farmers for mitigating the capital constraint and increasing investment in infrastructures like roads for improving physical access thereby promoting adoption.

Interregional comparative analysis of farmers’ perceptions and expectations of climate change

This study looked into the relationship and effects of agricultural activities in different regions of Turkey on climate change. This study aims to determine farmer awareness of climate change and its effects, as well as farmer adaptation capabilities in different regions of Turkey against climate change, and to develop extension and policy tools based on the findings. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys with farmers in the provinces where the research was conducted. In this context, a proportional sampling survey of 418 farmers was conducted. The collected information was subjected to factor analysis and the independent t-test. According to the findings, farmers associate climate change with precipitation, and the effect of precipitation and the risks it poses in increasing or decreasing crop yields are of particular concern. Farmers in the Southeastern Anatolia Region are more concerned about heat and drought than farmers in the Mediterranean Region. Furthermore, producers believe that human-caused factors and economic development have a greater impact on climate change than agricultural activities. Farmers in research areas are concerned that climate change will increase migration from rural areas and the decline of forests and animal species. As a result, raising individual awareness and utilising new technology in rural areas is critical. Farmers’ awareness of new and environmentally friendly agricultural techniques must be raised to increase their use. Highlights - Farmers associate climate change with drought. - According to the farmers, the leading factors causing climate change are human-induced factors that disrupt the ecological balance. - The most important concern regarding the effects of climate change is that production costs will increase. - Farmers are reluctant to implement adaptation or mitigation methods that can be developed against climate change.

Study of High-Temperature-Induced Morphological and Physiological Changes in Potato Using Nondestructive Plant Phenotyping.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is vulnerable to high temperatures, which are expected to increase in frequency and duration due to climate change. Nondestructive phenotyping techniques represent a promising technology for helping the adaptation of agriculture to climate change. In this study, three potato cultivars (Agria, Bellarosa and Desiree) were grown under four temperature treatments: 20/15 °C (T1), 25/20 °C (T2), 30/25 °C (T3), and 35/30 °C (T4). Multispectral and chlorophyll fluorescence imaging, 3D multispectral scanning, and gas exchange analysis were used to study the effect of moderate heat stress on potato morphology and physiology and select phenotypic traits most responsive to increased temperatures. The most responsive morphological traits to increased temperatures are related to decreased leaf area, which were detected already at T2. Increased temperatures (already T2) also changed leaf spectral characteristics, indicated by increased red, green, and blue reflectance and decreased far-red reflectance and anthocyanin index (ARI). Regarding chlorophyll fluorescence, increasing temperatures (T2) caused an increase in minimal fluorescence of both dark-adapted (F0) and light-adapted (F0') plants. Stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, photosynthetic rate, instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE), and intrinsic water use efficiency increased from T1 to T3 and decreased again in T4. Using recursive partitioning analysis, the most responsive potato phenotypic traits to increased temperature were leaf area projected (LAP), ARI, F0, and WUE. These traits could be considered marker traits for further studying potato responses to increased temperatures.

Socio-Economic Vulnerability and Adaptations of Fish Farmers to Climate Variability and Extreme Climate Events in Selected Parts of Kitui County, Kenya

Climate variability and extreme climate events is one of the many challenges faced by fish farmers. The present study was carried out to assess and compare the socio-economic vulnerability and adaptations of fish farmers to climate variability and extreme climate events in arid and semi-arid lands of Central and Eastern parts of Kitui County, Kenya. Both study sites were purposively selected and the descriptive research design adopted. A total of 60 fish farming households were randomly selected to form the sample size for the study. The socio-economic vulnerability analysis of the fish farmers was based on an index constructed from carefully selected indicators for adaptive capacity. Principal Component Analysis was used to give weights to the indicators. The overall adaptive capacity index results revealed that possession of various assets varied between the two study sites, implying a spatial difference in socio-economic vulnerability between the two study sites. Regarding adaptation, results revealed that the level of adoption of various adaptation strategies to climate variability and extreme climate events also differed significantly between the two study sites and was subject to the adaptive capacity of the fish farmer. Therefore, this study recommends that the socio-economic vulnerability profile of the fish farmers inform any adaptation actions to be taken on fish farmers in arid and semi-arid lands

Awareness of Climate Change Impact and Adaptation in Agriculture – The Case of Albania

Abstract The Albanian agriculture sector is deeply affected by climate change. To cope with climate change, it is necessary to understand its consequences. The views of agriculture extension service experts are crucial in improving farmers’ understanding and resilience, especially when farming practices are poorly adapted to the changing climate. This paper analyses the risks from climate change and the adaptive capacity of farmers based on an expert evaluation survey. The respondents identified prolongation of drought durations, rising temperatures, above-average occurrences of floods, pre-seasonal rainfall and frost as primary risks during recent years. Extension experts view a high (negative) impact from climate change through processes such as increased plant diseases occurrence, increased exposure to rodents, harmful insects and pests for plants and livestock, as well as forest and pasture degradation. The paper also provides experts’ opinions on the policy implications, such as considerations about adaptation strategies towards climate change.

Adaptation of vegetable farmers to climate change in the Parisian region: a participatory approach using climate data

Adaptation of vegetable farmers to climate change in the Parisian region: a participatory approach using climate data

Barriers and requirements for adaptation of farmers in mountainous areas to climate change

Barriers and requirements for adaptation of farmers in mountainous areas to climate change

Knowledge of climate change and adaptation by smallholder farmers: evidence from southern Ethiopia

Climate change has the greatest negative impact on low-income countries, which burdens agricultural systems. Climate change and extreme weather events have caused Ethiopia’s agricultural production to decline and exacerbated food insecurity over the last few decades. This study investigates whether farmers’ awareness and perceptions of climate change play a role in climate change adaptation using climate-smart agricultural practices. To collect data, 385 households in Southern Ethiopia were sampled using a multistage sampling. A Heckman probit two-stage selection model was applied to investigate the factors influencing farmers’ perceptions to climate change and adaptation measures through adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices, complemented with key informant interviews and focused group discussions. The results indicated that most farmers (81.80%) perceived that the local climate is changing, with 71.9% reporting increased temperature and 53.15% reporting decreasing rainfall distribution. Therefore, farmers attempted to apply some adaptation practices, including soil and water conservation with biological measures, improved crop varieties, agroforestry, improved breeds, cut and carry system, controlled grazing, and residue incorporation. The empirical results revealed that farmers adaptation to climate change through adoptions of CSA practices was significantly influenced by education, family size, gender, landholding size, farming experience, access to climate information, training received, social membership, livestock ownership, farm income and extension services. The study found that farmers’ perceptions of climate change and variability were significantly influenced by their age, level of education, farming experience, and access to climate information, hence, the need to focus on enhancing the accuracy of weather information, strengthening extension services, and considering a gender-sensitive adaptation approach toward improving farmers’ knowledge and aspirations. Agricultural policies should support the efforts of farmers to increase the reliance on climate risk and alleviate farmers’ difficulties in adopting climate-smart agriculture practices.

A Forward Future-Based Approach to Optimizing Agriculture and Climate Change Adaptation in Lower Eastern Kenya

Kenya’s vulnerability to climate variability and change has been compounded by dependence on rain-fed agriculture with constrained capacity to adapt, a rapidly growing population, low-mechanized and low-input smallholder agricultural systems, and compromised soil fertility. The Ukraine war, COVID-19 and the desert locust invasion have only amplified the prevailing sensitivity to shocks in the agriculture sector, creating an emphasis on the need to strengthen local agricultural production to reduce reliance on imports. This paper seeks to assess the opportunities for improving agriculture adaptation and resilience based on future expected changes in climate, length of the growing period and agro-ecologies. The study uses 2020 as the baseline year and explores changes in agro-ecological zones (AEZs) in “near future” 2040 through two representative concentration pathways, 4.5 and 8.5, representing a medium carbon emissions and a dire emissions future, respectively. Google Earth Engine and R Statistics are used in data-processing. Down-scaled climate projections from CIMP5 are used for future analyses combined with static soil suitability and drainage data. Fuzzy logic is used to normalize inputs and compute the agro-ecological zones (AEZ). Interesting results emerge from the study that validate the hypothesis that the seasons and production potential are shifting. Lowland drylands will experience an increasingly long growing period, creating the potential for diversifying production systems from rangelands to agro-pastoral systems, with the capacity to grow more drought-resistant crops and the potential to take advantage of increased runoff for water harvesting. Midland highland areas, which form part of the food basket areas, have already started experiencing a reduction in the length of the growing period and agricultural potential. In these areas, resilience mechanisms will need to consider the expected future reduction in rain-fed agricultural potential, gendered preferences, convergence of technology and indigenous coping mechanisms, and drought-resilience-focused diversification.

Climate change adaptation in agriculture: Learning from an international labour mobility programme in Australia and the Pacific Islands region

Climate change is expected to seriously affect agricultural livelihoods and food security in all Pacific Island countries. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation contends that, to adapt, both ‘modern’ and Indigenous agricultural practices and knowledge are needed. A challenge lies in combining agricultural knowledge systems and enabling adaptive knowledge to be shared amongst Pacific Islanders. Opportunities to integrate different types of agricultural knowledge (including ‘modern’ and Indigenous) are needed. This paper argues that international labour mobility programmes provide an avenue for knowledge exchange that can support climate change adaptation in agriculture. It presents empirical evidence from research with 33 Pacific Islanders who grow crops in their home countries and were employed in Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP). We demonstrate how SWP participation opened new possibilities for climate change adaptation in agriculture in the Pacific Islands. Adaptive knowledge stems from SWP workers’ exposure to different agricultural skills and ideas in Australia, combined with their knowledge and experience of crop production in their countries of origin. SWP participation created opportunities for workers to draw on different agricultural skills and knowledge on return to the Pacific Islands. The ability for SWP workers to then exchange adaptive knowledge with other Pacific Islanders is enabled by their social relationships, the likes of which an official agricultural extension officer might not have to the same degree. So far, such adaptive agricultural knowledge and skills exchanges are serendipitous. There is scope to explicitly build climate change knowledge exchange into agriculture-focused international labour mobility schemes.

Farm level adaptation to climate change in north China: behavioural practices and potential drivers

ABSTRACT Climate change has profound impacts on agricultural production, to which farmers must adapt, but the role of farmers in climate change adaptation is largely unaddressed. This research targeted to construct an integrated picture of the farm level adaptation to climate change in north China. We performed a field survey in Hebei province, and uncover which farmer behaviours in reality constitute an adaptation and analyses the characteristics and heterogeneity of these behaviours. The results show that farmer adaptation is mostly limited to spontaneous behavioural adjustment. The most widely adopted adaptation strategy remains the use of fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation techniques that were widely used, whilst the adoption of advanced adaptation technologies is not yet sufficient. Farming experience and involvement into off-farm work probably restrict farmers’ involvement in adaptation. Farmers’ perception of climate change risks and recognition of the effectiveness of adaptation would drive the adoption of adaptation strategies, however, obstacles remain with regards to the availability of policy, technology, and infrastructure support at government level. The study recommends that governments need to provide more adaptation support while also focus on the dissemination of information on adaptation provision, as well as strengthen people’s perceptions of climate risks and the effectiveness of adaptation.