Smallholder farmers’ perception to climate change impact on crop production: Case from drought prone areas of Bangladesh
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Abstract
Agriculture sector, due to its sensitivity, is vulnerable to climate change and it experiences several extreme climatic events such as droughts, flooding, natural catastrophes and salinity intrusion. Coping climate change events and mitigating its impacts on crop production need to assess farmers’ perception. The purpose of the study was to assess smallholder farmers’ perception to climate change impact on crop production in drought prone areas of Bangladesh. Mixed methods approaches including quantitative and qualitative data were employed. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire through household survey during September and October 2017. The study respondents were 100 smallholder farmers in the drought prone areas of Bangladesh. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, coefficient of correlation and stepwise regression. The major findings reveal that the perceived impacts of climate change on crop production was severe followed by moderate impact. Among twelve statements regarding climate change impact on crop production, increased pest infestations was perceived as most important impact. Increased frequency of drought occurrences was perceived as second most important impact of climate change. However, the least important impact of climate change was increased intensity of floods. Among the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, age, year of schooling, farming experience, access to information sources and training experience were significantly associated with their perception to climate change impacts on crop production. In addition, year of schooling, farming experience and training experience were the most influential factors that affected smallholder farmers’ perception. The study identified important issue for the policy makers and other development practitioners to address and to recommend suitable programs. The methods employed in and the findings of this study could be used in other districts of Bangladesh with similar socio-economic and regional context.
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