State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology (ESPRE), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
School of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Jul;27(21):26484-26494. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-09048-w. Epub 2020 May 4.
A better understanding of farmers' perceptions of and responses to climate change is important for decision-makers to design more effective adaptation policies. This study investigates farmers' perceptions of climate change, actual adaption responses at the farm level, and factors influencing farmers' decisions on climate change adaptation in Wushen Banner, China. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 220 farmers with a random sampling technique. We found that farmers were generally concerned about climate change. Most farmers have adopted adaption measures to address the adverse effects of climate change. Adjusting farming behavior and using financial means were the main adaptation measures used by local farmers. The results revealed that the implementation of adaptation measures was constrained by the lack of technology, shortage of money, and poor infrastructure. The binary logistic regression results showed that farmers' socioeconomic characteristics, such as education, farming experience, and gender, had significant impacts on farmers' decisions to choose adaptation strategies. The regression results also indicated that farmers who believed climate change would affect their health were more willing to choose financial instruments, and farmers who believed climate change would affect their agricultural productions were likely to diversify their livelihoods. The findings provide some critical insights based on local perceptions of climate change and enhance our understanding of cognitive beliefs attached to adaptive responses.
更好地了解农民对气候变化的看法和应对措施，对于决策者设计更有效的适应政策至关重要。本研究调查了农民对气候变化的看法、农场层面的实际适应措施，以及影响农民应对气候变化适应决策的因素。在中国乌审旗，采用随机抽样技术对 220 名农民进行了问卷调查。研究发现，农民普遍关注气候变化。大多数农民已经采取了适应措施来应对气候变化的不利影响。调整耕作行为和使用金融手段是当地农民采用的主要适应措施。研究结果表明，适应措施的实施受到技术缺乏、资金短缺和基础设施不完善的制约。二元逻辑回归结果表明，农民的社会经济特征，如教育程度、耕作经验和性别，对农民选择适应策略的决策有显著影响。回归结果还表明，认为气候变化会影响健康的农民更愿意选择金融工具，而认为气候变化会影响农业生产的农民更有可能使生计多样化。这些发现基于对气候变化的当地认知，提供了一些关键的见解，并增强了我们对适应反应相关认知信念的理解。
