An assessment of rice farmers perception of climate change and adaptive capacity : a study of the state of Kedah

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable sectors to be affected by the adverse effects of climate change. Among the countries that are affected, it was observed that Malaysia’s agricultural productivity has been on a decreasing trend. This is because parts of the country have come under the unscrupulous ravages of climate vulnerability and other natural disasters caused by climate change. Farmers are the most affected because not only are they less knowledgeable about the effects of climate change, they are also less capable of protecting themselves and this is due to the many constraints they face. In order to help farmers to be better at adapting to the vulnerability of climate change, it is important to analyse their understanding of the consequences of climate change, their selection of appropriate adaptation methods as well as their capacity to identify the barriers that could affect their adaptation behaviours. In line with this, this study aims to examine the perception of Malaysian farmers, their adaption capacity and their attitudes towards climate change. It also examines their views about the barriers affecting their adaptation behaviour. To achieve this aim, a questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 400 rice farmers from the Kedah region of Malaysia. Data was analysed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach. The findings of this study show that 84% of the respondents had perceived a decrease in rainfall due to climate change while 75% had perceived an increase in temperature over the last 10 to 15 years as a result of climate change. It is also found that the farmers who participated in this study possess a moderate adaptive capacity to adapt to climate change and some of their common adaptation practices include improving their irrigation system, using organic fertilizers and changing their activities from farming to non-farming activities. The analysis also indicates that the farmers were facing several kinds of adaptation barriers such as high cost of input, unpredictable weather, lack of water resources, lack of timely weather information, lack of access to credit facilities and a few more constraints. Based on the statistics, the study also finds a significant positive relationship between the farmers’ perception of climate change and awareness (AWN) with their attitudes (ATT) towards their adaptation behaviour (ADB), a finding which is consistent with theoretical assumptions. Furthermore, the results also reveal that awareness and attitudes play a mediating role between perception and adaptation behaviour. It is hoped that the outcome of this study can be used by the relevant parties to help the public and private organisations to learn more about the farmers’ perceptions about climate change and the barriers they face in trying to adapt to the effects of climate change. Therefore, an appropriate policy framework needs to be developed so as to enable farmers to overcome their adaptation obstacles.