This paper reviews and discusses how studies on (i) on-farm diversity assessment, (ii) access to diversity and information, (iii) extent of use of available materials and information, and (iv) benefits obtained by the farmer or farming community from their use of local crop diversity, are necessary to identify the different ways of supporting farmers and farming communities in the maintenance of traditional varieties and crop genetic diversity within their production systems. Throughout this paper two key themes are emphasized. First, any description or analysis within the four main areas (assessment, access, use and benefit) can, and most probably will, lead to a number of different actions. Second, the decision to implement a particular action, and therefore its success, will depend on farmers and the farming community having the knowledge and leadership capacity to evaluate the benefits that this action will have for them. This in turn emphasizes the importance of activities (whether by local, national...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07352689.2011.554358

An Heuristic Framework for Identifying Multiple Ways of Supporting the Conservation and Use of Traditional Crop Varieties within the Agricultural Production System

A review of climatic changes reported by subsistence-oriented communities around the world highlights the contribution that such local observations can make to our understanding of the impact of climate change on ecosystems and societies.

Observations of climate change among subsistence-oriented communities around the world

This study is aimed at analyzing farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change in the Dabus watershed. It is based on analysis of data collected from 734 randomly selected farm household heads substantiated with Focus Group Discussions and field observations. The study employed descriptive methods to assess farmers’ perception of climate change, local indicators of climate change and types of adaptation measures exercised to cope up with the risk of the change in climate. The study also employed the Heckman sample selection model to analyze the two-step process of adaptation to climate change which initially requires farmers’ perception that climate is changing prior to responding to the changes through adaptation measures. Based on the model result educational attainment, the age of the head of the household, the number of crop failures in the past, changes in temperature and precipitation significantly influenced farmers’ perception of climate change in wet lowland parts of the study area. In dry lowland condition, farming experience, climate information, duration of food shortage, and the number of crop failures experienced determined farmers’ perception of climate change. Farmers’ adaptation decision in both the wet and dry lowland conditions is influenced by household size, the gender of household head, cultivated land size, education, farm experience, non-farm income, income from livestock, climate information, extension advice, farm-home distance and number of parcels. However, the direction of influence and significance level of most of the explanatory variables vary between the two parts of the study area. In line with the results, any intervention that promotes the use of adaptation measures to climate change may account for location-specific factors that determine farmers' perception of climate change and adaptive responses thereof.

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Farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation strategies in the Dabus watershed, North-West Ethiopia

In Uganda, weather-related events such as prolonged dry seasons, floods, storms, mudslides, extreme rainfall, and delayed/early rains have become more frequent and/or intense. This has left most of the rural poor farmers’ food insecure and their livelihoods threatened. A total of 192 sweetpotato farmer households distributed in six agro-ecological zones were interviewed to assess how farmers perceive the effects of changes in climatic variables, and how they have adjusted their farming practices to cope with the changes in climate. Gender of the household head and size of land owned significantly affected adaptation. Ninety nine percent of all households interviewed had observed a change in the climate in the last 10 years. Drought and floods had the highest impact on crop production across agro-ecological zones. Coping strategies towards extreme events included storing food, income diversification and digging drainage channels. Other strategies were planting trees; high-yielding, early-maturing, drought-tolerant, disease and/or pest-resistant varieties; planting at onset of rains; increased pesticide/fungicide application among others. The smallholder farmer households studied have a high awareness of changes in rainfall and temperature and have taken measures to cope with effects of a changing climate.

https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jas/article/download/26639/17280

Farmers’ Perception of and Coping Strategies to Climate Change: Evidence From Six Agro-Ecological Zones of Uganda

This study examined smallholder farmers' level of perception about climate change, source of information on climate change, types of adaptation strategies, factors influencing adaptation choices and barriers to adaptation in Eastern Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia. The surveyed farm households in the study area perceived at least one aspect of climate change primarily through their life experience. Planting trees is the major adaptation measure and 89.1 percent of the farmers took this adaptation strategy. Most farmers (96 percent) believe that deforestation is the main cause of climate change and the choice of farmers to plant trees as an adaptation strategy may be partly a mitigation strategy. However, the majority (49.6 percent) of the households employed at least one adaptation response on top of tree planting. The other adaptation strategies include: early planting, terracing, irrigation and water harvesting. The main source of information for these adaptation strategies for 58.4 percent of the respondents is from extension advice. Results of a multinomial logit model showed that non-farm income, farmer- to-farmer extension, access to credit, distance to selling markets, distance to purchasing markets, and income affect the choice of adaptation strategies. Finally, the study identified lack of information as the most important barrier to climate change adaptation. The other barriers include: lack of farm inputs, shortage of land, lack of money, lack of water and shortage of labor.

/pdf/understanding-the-process-of-adaptation-to-climate-change-by-1fzz1iipbk.pdf

Understanding the process of adaptation to climate change by small-holder farmers: the case of east Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia

This paper brings out perceptions and observations of Tharu communities (Rana and Chaudhary), inhabitants of Shakarpur VDC of Kanchanpur and Gadariya VDCs of Kailali on climate change and its impacts on their livelihood strategies over the years. In addition, the paper explores some initiatives taken by the local communities to minimize its effects and impacts. Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were organized to collect and analyze vulnerability contexts on climate change and its impact on various sectors like, agriculture, forest, livestock, biodiversity, infrastructure, human casualties and water sources. Similarly, information on available service providers and their contribution was garnered through secondary sources. Local communities are facing these changes over the time and adapting strategies as per their own traditional knowledge, skills and information. Most of these strategies are biodiversity friendly, economically viable and socially acceptable. However, these innovative steps should be shared for larger scale dissemination after validating with scientific review and justifications.
		
			 
		
			Key words: Tharu community, climate change, adaptation, perception, innovation.

E. R. Sigdel

Papers

Tharu community's perception on climate changes and their adaptive initiations to withstand its impacts in Western Terai of Nepal