Community awareness, perceived impacts and local adaptation strategies toward climate change in Liben Chukala District, Ethiopia

Farmer–herder conflicts deepen the incidence of poverty and worsen the wellbeing of both farming and herding households in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to cope with the effects of conflict on their livelihoods, households adopt various adaptation strategies. This paper assesses the effects of adopting conflict adaptation strategies on the multidimensional poverty and subjective wellbeing of farmers and herders using primary data from 500 households (400 farming households and 100 herding households) from two farmer–herder conflict hotspot districts in Ghana. Specifically, the paper analyses the determinants of adopting adaptation strategies, and measures the effect of adopting these strategies on the multidimensional poverty and subjective wellbeing of households using multinomial endogenous switching regression to account for selectivity bias. We found that households’ adoption of adaptation strategies is positively correlated with cattle killing, vulnerability to farmer–herder conflict, household size and labour size, access to land, nearness of farms to cattle grazing routes, access to extension services, and expectations of future occurrence of the conflict. On the other hand, households’ adoption of adaptation strategies is negatively correlated with leisure time, incidences of crop destruction in the past, experience in farming/herding, and membership of farmer-based organisations. We also found that, although the adoption of both on-farm and non-farm adaptation strategies by farming households, and herding and non-herding adaptation strategies by herding households, significantly reduce multidimensional poverty and increase subjective wellbeing. Households’ multidimensional poverty levels are reduced to a greater extent and subjective wellbeing improved if farming households focus on adopting only on-farm adaptation strategies, and herding households focus on adopting only herding adaptation strategies. Hence, interventions aimed at mitigating the effect of farmer–herder conflict on households’ poverty and wellbeing should focus on promoting on-farm and herding adaptation strategies for farming and herding households, respectively.

To achieve the SDGs 13 of taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact, SDGs 2 of ending hunger and poverty, and the African Union CAADP Strategy and Action Plan: 2026–2035 of ending hunger and intensifying sustainable food production, agro-industrialization, and trade, there is a need to enhance farmers coping and adaption strategies for shocks. Agricultural drought has remarkably affected the economies of many sub-Saharan African countries, especially South Africa, in the recent past and still poses a challenge to commercial livestock farming. Understanding the adaptive and coping mechanisms and their determinants is pertinent to informing future preparedness for agricultural drought. This study analyses data from 123 commercial livestock farmers using a multivariate probit model to examine determining factors for the choice of adaptation and coping strategies. The results revealed that livestock management strategies, including the adoption of drought-resilient breeds, feedbanks, and herd size reduction, are the most preferred adaptive strategies, followed by conservation agriculture. Reducing animal numbers and feed management were the most preferred drought coping strategies. The choice of adaptive and coping strategies was mainly influenced by livestock farmers’ experience with past droughts, farmers’ age, the strength of social networks, asset size, and market accessibility. The study advocates for integrated policy, managerial, and social interventions that enhance infrastructure to support market access, improve access to asset-backed financing, strengthen both horizontal (farmer-to-farmer) and vertical (cooperatives) networking, promote conservation agriculture, and ensure water security. These measures aim to bolster the short-term and long-term adaptive capacities, coping strategies, and resilience of livestock farmers in the face of agricultural drought.

Context: Climate change poses significant challenges to the sustainability of fisheries and the socio-economic security of fishing communities across India. Objectives: The study aims to systematically synthesize evidence on fishers’ perceptions of climate change, its impacts on fisheries and livelihoods, vulnerability patterns, and adaptation strategies in the Indian fisheries and aquaculture context. Methodology: A Systematic Literature Review was conducted following the ROSES protocol, involving a structured search, screening, and thematic analysis of peer-reviewed studies and relevant literature from India. Results: The study indicates that fishers perceive climate change through both scientific understanding and lived experiences of environmental stressors such as erratic rainfall, extreme weather events, and rising temperatures. Reported impacts include changes in species composition, declining fish catches, biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, income instability, livelihood insecurity, and increased social vulnerability. Vulnerability was particularly high among communities with low adaptive capacity, limited access to institutional support, coastal exposure, and pronounced gender inequities, with female-headed and marginalized households facing greater risks. Although awareness of climate change was widespread, adaptation efforts were constrained by socio-economic limitations, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient policy attention. Significance: This review highlights the need for inclusive, context-specific, and anticipatory interventions that integrate traditional ecological knowledge with scientific and policy support to enhance resilience in Indian fisheries under climate change. Key words: SLR-ROSES Approach, Climate change, Fisheries, Adaptation strategy

Several studies have reported farmers’ perceptions of climate change, but there is inadequate knowledge available on the farm households’ climate change awareness (CCA) in Pakistan. This study was undertaken to assess farmers’ CCA. For this purpose, the study collected the data from southern and central Punjab, Pakistan, through a purposively multistage random sampling technique. Binary logit and odds ratio were used to analyse the data. The analysis of the study shows that the majority of respondents were aware of climate change but had differing perceptions of climate change. This research showed that 70.8% of farmers are aware of climate change and reported their awareness level on winter and summer rainfall and temperature, the growing season length (GSL) of crops, the sea level rise, and the causes of climate changes and conceptual understanding of it while persistently denying climate change. However, many farmers did not perceive decreasing winter (48%) and summer (31.2%) precipitation, the majority of the farmers could not perceive in the GSL of summer (63.2%) and winter (64.4%) crops, while few did not notice increased winter (36.4%) and summer (33.6%) temperature, respectively. Financial and non-financial factors such as education (1.16), experience (1.07), distance to markets (1.07), non-agricultural income (2.83), access to agricultural credit (0.29) and marketing of produce (6.10), access to extension services (3.87) and the number of adaptation strategies (1.30) were pointedly related to farm households’ CCA. These odds values in the parenthesis show that the likelihood of CCA increases/decreases as these determinants increase. Moreover, the results of the study show that CCA is a significant predictor of adaptation to climate change. Main adaptation strategies opted for by farmers include changing crop variety and type, changing planting dates, tree plantation, increasing/changing fertilizer, soil and water conservation, off-farm income and diversification. Further, the study finds that some farmers did not perceive climate change as it takes time to be visible, but they are aware of climate change. Therefore, there is a need to reshape the households’ perception of climate change and enhance farmers’ CCA through existing extension services.

To promote a sustainable coffee industry, Davao Oriental has branded its coffee in association with Mt. Hamiguitan. This study profiles the production capacities and agricultural practices of smallholder coffee farmers along the Mt. Hamiguitan buffer zone, focusing on women’s roles and farmers’ climate change awareness and adaptation strategies. Fifty-seven purposively selected farmers (28 females, 29 males) were interviewed using a validated semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistics. Most farmers (70%) were old (≥51) with over 40 years of experience (51%). Non-participation in farmers’ associations (73.7%) surpassed active membership (26.3%), with only 14% attending training. Most farmers (65%) intercropped 500–600 Robusta coffee trees/ha, with many farms established in the 1980s (36%). The farmers performed clearing (82%) and pruning (94%) of their coffee. Women played a vital role, especially during drying and harvesting. All respondents acknowledged climate change and employed practices such as intercropping, pruning, using ipil-ipil for shade, and utilizing nets, which, though originally aimed at improving crop resilience, can also serve as adaptations to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Recommendations for fostering sustainable practices while improving livelihoods include joining cooperatives, providing training for enhanced climate change adaptation strategies, and increasing women’s participation in coffee production.

Farmers’ awareness level and their perceptions of climate change: A case of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan

The research was undertaken at Pungu in the Kassena Nankana Municipal Assembly in the Upper East Region of Ghana, in order to assess the adaptation strategies of the impacts of climate change by indigenes with respect to the unpredictable change in climate at the area (Pungu). The study was based on climate change impact on health, water resources, agriculture and socio-economic statuses as questionnaire and interview were the scientific methods utilized in this findings. The results from the assessment showed that, indigenes sleep either outside or inside which is dependent on prevailing atmospheric temperature to prevent heat related illness such as cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) among others. The study also found out that unpredictable climate change had detrimental impact on water resources and agriculture in the area which inevitably affected their social and economic works. So, adaptation strategies such as hand-dug wells and boreholes are resorted to cope with the impacts of climate change on the aforementioned statuses. Frequent seminars and public education on the awareness of climate change, impacts and adaptation strategies are recommended.

Climate change is one of the hot topics of this decade and seriously affects all economic production sectors including the livestock farming sector. In many scenarios, the Mediterranean region is expected to experience unconventional and severe climate change that necessitates adopting effective strategies to improve the resilience of the livestock farming sector, particularly for smallholders. Here, we performed a cross-sectional survey of 277 smallholder livestock farmers in Egypt and 223 in Spain in order to (1) assess smallholder livestock farmers’ awareness of climate change and its potential impacts on animal performance, (2) identify climate change factors affecting animal productivity, and (3) identify the resilience of small-scale livestock farms in the region to the effects of climate change on animal productivity and existing and future needed adaptive measures. The results showed that just over 90% of respondents were aware of climate change and its potential effects on animal productivity, and just over 60% of smallholders in Spain obtained relevant knowledge through their own direct observation, while most smallholders in Egypt obtained knowledge through communication with other farmers and from the media. The role of extension advisors has diminished in the two countries, recording 0.36% in Egypt and 1.35% in Spain. The survey responses suggest that heat waves, humidity, and drought are the major climatic changes affecting smallholding animal production, representing 68.65, 16.34, and 15.01%, respectively. Climatic change appears to have affected primarily milk yield, wool production, and reproductive performance on the smallholding farms in our survey, while affecting meat production, mortality rate, and egg production to a smaller extent. As measures to buffer the effects of climate change, 25% of respondents in Egypt indicated that they have adopted nutritional strategies, 36% indicated that they manage housing conditions, and 6% indicated that they use genetically improved animal breeds. The corresponding percentages among respondents in Spain were 15%, 28%, and 4%, respectively. In conclusion, awareness about climate change as well as adaptation measures are the major axes to sustaining the growing demand for livestock products. Furthermore, mitigation strategies are keys to limiting the upcoming extent of climate change, and there are several adaptation strategies.

Is awareness of climate change a predictor of eco-anxiety? Research within the scope of nursing students

This paper examined factors that affect smallholder maize farmers’ coping and adaptation strategies to climate change in Thota-Moli communal area in Maseru District in Lesotho. The study surveyed 70 respondents who were selected randomly from five villages using a structured questionnaire. The adaptation strategy index, descriptive statistics and the binary logistic regression model were utilised to analyse the data. The farmers ranked crop diversification and use of drought resistant varieties as the most useful adaptation strategies. The binary logit model results revealed that access to weather information, distance to input market, access to extension services, level of education and financing on-farm activities affect farmers’ decision to cope with or adapt to effects of climate change. Hence, this study recommends that policy reforms should be guided by these socio-economic factors when developing strategies to expand the opportunities available for increased use of coping and adaptation strategies within rural farming communities.

The study evaluates the farmers' choices and adoption of adaptation measures and plans by smallholder farmers to reduce the effects of climate change on their farming activities. We conducted a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method. We found 66 associated studies to understand farmers’ adaptation measures to climate change impacts in Africa. The paper summarizes four categories, including i) crop varieties and management; ii) water and soil management; iii) financial schemes, migration, and culture; and finally, iv) agriculture and weather services. The findings revealed that majority of studies identified crop diversification (51.5%), planting drought-tolerant varieties (45%), changing planting dates (42%), and planting early maturing crops (22%) as dominant strategies. These adaptation strategies are a welcome development and may be beneficial for responding to the impacts of climate change. However, they might not be effective during times of more extreme climate changes in the coming decades. Hence, more transformative changes, such as building more infrastructures for irrigation, promoting crop insurance, using improved varieties, and increasing opportunities for livelihood diversification, should be considered in addition to the existing adaptation strategies and potentially contributes towards SDG 1 (No Poverty) and 2 (Zero Hunger).

The agricultural sector is the main source of rural households’ food and revenue in Niger, and it contributes approximately 43% to the national GDP. However, there are several constraints to the sector’s development, including negative impacts of climate change. To mitigate these impacts, farmers implement a range of technical strategies. The extent of farmer’s awareness and perceptions of climate change impacts influences these strategies and hence farmers’ level of adaptation. This study was undertaken to assess farmers’ awareness and perceptions of climate change impacts in Aguie Department, Niger Republic. Descriptive statistics and a regression model were used for data analysis. The results from a descriptive analysis show that the majority of respondents (84.4%) were aware of climate risks, but had differing perceptions of climate change impacts on production and annual revenue. A regression test revealed that climate-related information is highly significant in determining farmers’ awareness of climate change impacts. Most of the respondents reported negative impacts from climate change, and the majority, therefore, adjusted their farming system, albeit at different levels. A probit analysis shows that awareness, perception, education, crop production, soil fertility and annual revenue are highly influential on farmers’ climate change impacts adaptation. This research highlights farmer awareness and perceptions as key factors in the climate change impacts adaptation debate. The findings reveal that effective adaptation to climate change impacts is highly dependent on the extent of community awareness and how farmers perceive the impacts of climate change. The study highlights that institutions targeting households’ livelihood improvement and making decisions concerning climate change adaptation need to focus on media outreach in local languages, improving locally adapted extension services, and developing water use efficiency measures such as improved irrigation for effective and long-term adaptation.

In Africa, climate change exerts significant pressure on the agricultural sector. Current changes in climate for most parts of Mozambique have resulted in increased frequency of droughts, dry spells and uncertain rainfall. This has resulted in loss of food production and smallholder farmers are most vulnerable to these climatic disasters as they affect the food security status of the household. Despite an increased number of country level case studies, knowledge gaps continue to exist at the level of impact analysis. In addition, while adaptation and coping strategies with climate change and variability have become key themes in current global climate discussions and policy initiatives, literature on adaptation in Mozambique appears to be limited. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of smallholder farmers to climate change and adaptation strategies in Lichinga and Sussundenga districts of Mozambique. Using data obtained from a survey carried out in Lichinga and Sussundenga districts in Mozambique descriptive statistics analysis was undertaken using SPSS software to characterize the households, in terms of perceptions and coping strategies of the household to climate change. The farmers from both districts sited rainfall variability and higher temperatures to have severely affected maize production. Due to the late onset of rains, in Lichinga the planting period has changed from November (47.5%) to December (70%) while in Sussundenga the planting period has changed from September/October (40%) to November (62.5%). The rain seasons have become shorter and dry seasons are longer. Some farmers have switched from growing maize to growing drought tolerant crops, such as cassava, sweet potato and cultivation of horticultural crops in wetlands as strategies to cope with the climate change. Key words: Climate variability, farmer's perceptions, adaptation strategies.

<p>Climatic characteristics and weather events have always conditioned the success of a harvest. Climate change and the associated increase in intense weather phenomena in recent years are making it clearer than ever that agriculture is among the sectors most at risk. Although problems in agriculture are found all over the world, the most vulnerable contexts are those where agriculture is low-tech and rainfed. Here, adaptation strategies are even more urgent to secure the food production. Assuming that the awareness of climate change is the basis for the adoption of adaptation and mitigation strategies, it is interesting to correlate the degree of perception of local inhabitants with their willingness to adopt bottom-up initiatives.</p><p>The current study focuses on banana producers’ perceptions of climate change in a tropical valley, and the initiatives that farmers adopt to cope with recent intense weather events. The banana plant (Musa Musacae) grows in tropical climates with annual rainfall around 2000 mm and average temperatures around 27°C. The species’ threadlike root system and the weak pseudostem make it particularly vulnerable to wind gusts, which, at speeds higher than 15 m/s, can bend and knock over entire plantations. The increased frequency of convective thunderstorms observed in connection with climate change has made downburst phenomena more frequent and caused greater crop loss.</p><p>The aim of the present work is to estimate the correlation between banana producers’ perceptions of climate change and their bottom-up initiatives for adaptation. To achieve this goal, the case study of the Upper Huallaga valley, which is located in the Peruvian Amazon region as shown in Figure 1, is analysed. The work was carried out at two levels: (i) we interviewed 73 banana producers in the valley, (ii) we estimated the alterations and trends in temperature and precipitation recorded by the only three available meteorological stations within the valley. Finally, we compared the two databases to evaluate if the perception of the population was confirmed by the data. Most of the surveyed population observed an increase in temperature, consistent with the results of the data analysis, and an increase in precipitation, which was not consistent with observations as these showed a cyclic variation without a clear trend. With regards to the adaptation measures, it was observed that, although a clear majority of the sample surveyed (around 82%) agreed with the existence of climate change, only 46% of them had taken any initiative to counteract adverse events in some way. However, it is important to note that the strategies implemented were all devised and implemented by the farmers themselves. Funding and coordinating the dissemination of these adaptation practices by the local authority through a rural development plan could certainly strengthen the population’s effort.</p><p><img src="https://contentmanager.copernicus.org/fileStorageProxy.php?f=gnp.34e8e7df2cff59382630161/sdaolpUECMynit/12UGE&app=m&a=0&c=59f620ca81f3a3bb7bb44139d499513c&ct=x&pn=gnp.elif&d=1" alt=""></p><p><em>Figure 1, On the left side: the Upper Huallaga basin. </em><em>On the right side: the study area</em></p>

Climate change and its negative impacts pose a threat to crop production in Kenya. However, climate change adaptation strategies have the potential to address the challenges faced by crop farmers. Despite this, there is limited literature to inform policy on the best interventions to help farmers deal with climate issues. This study assessed the determinants of climate change adaptation strategies and the intensity of their use among 723 crop farmers in Busia County, Kenya, selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), multinomial logit regression, and the ordered probit model. The climate change adaptation strategies were categorized into crop diversity, cover crops, use of drought-resistant crops, and irrigation. According to the results, the factors contributing to the uptake of the different adaptation strategies were age, household size, access to credit, training access, off-farm income, group membership, frequency of receiving climate change information, and extension services. The major factors influencing the uptake of multiple climate change adaptation strategies were access to credit and off-farm income. The study shows that certain adaptation strategies, such as using cover crops, do not require credit and offer an important option in an environment with limited resources. On the other hand, adaptation measures such as irrigation demand financial resources for farmers to implement them, highlighting the importance of information and awareness in adopting adaptation strategies and the supportive role of financial resources, particularly for adopting multiple strategies. Therefore, this study suggests implementing policies and interventions that encompass knowledge-based strategies such as extension services, training, climate change education, group participation, and financial mechanisms like income generation activities and access to credit. These integrated strategies will enable farmers to adopt various climate change adaptation methods for sustainable crop production.