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Coastal Farmers' Perception of Climate Change Effects on Agriculture at Galachipa Upazila Under Patuakhali District of Bangladesh

M. G. R. Akanda
Professor, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.

M. S. Howlader
MS student, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh.

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change with a very high population density. The increasing risks from climate change, sea level rise, and natural and man-made hazards—such as cyclones, storm surge, flooding, land erosion, water logging, and salinity intrusion in soil and water have already adversely affected livelihoods of people living in environmentally fragile coastal areas of Bangladesh. This study identifies the relationship between the characteristics of the farmers and their perception of climate change effects on coastal agriculture at Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. To make the outcomes useful, both qualitative and quantitative approaches of field investigations were done. The perception scores of the farmers ranged from 50 to 88 with a mean and standard deviation 78.03 and 5.72 respectively. Majority (80.20 percent) of the farmers has low to medium perception and 19.80 percent high perceptions were found in this area. The research showed that some respondents had a clear understanding of climate change which directly affecting their lives and livelihoods. Most respondents were also aware of to adapt to the climate change effects on coastal agriculture. However, the most respondents were less able to understand about climate change impacts on agriculture due to several factors which also characterize in this study. Among the selected personal characteristics some were positively related and some were negatively related with their perception on climate change effects on coastal agriculture. The perceived aspects according to the perceived frequency/index were increased temperature, increased disease of crop, longer summer, increased insect infestation, unexpected rainfall, during winter water shortage hinder fish production, increase in poultry disease, unavailability of fish, reduced soil fertility, Saline water intrusion due to increased tidal flow, climate change occur due to deforestation, emission of industrial CO2 cause global warming, etc.

Keywords: Agriculture, Coastal, Climate change, Farmer, Perception, Adaptation

Location: Galachipa upazila at Patuakhali district of Bangladesh

Start Date: 01-08-2014

End Date: 10-09-2014

Program Area: Socio-economic and Policy

Non-commodity: Attitude

Objectives:

The overall purpose of the study was to identify the perception of climate change effects on coastal agriculture among farming households of Coastal Bangladesh. Specifically, the paper sought to: 1. To determine and describe the extent of farmer’s perceptions of climate change effects on coastal agriculture. 2. To explore the relationship between the dependent variables (farmers’ perception) and the independent variables (farmers selected characteristics)

Methodology:

a). Study location and Sampling The study area was coastal area namely Galachipa upazila at Patuakhali district of Bangladesh. The geographic location of the study area is 22.1639°N 90.4306°E. Galachipa upazila has 13 unions from which Galachipa union was selected randomly. From 12 villages 5 villages viz. Boalia, East Ratandi, Gorabala, Kalikapur and Pokkhia were selected randomly. Landless and absentee farmers were discarded from the farmers list with the help of SAAOs. Thus the Sample population was 1012. Then 10 percent of the sample population from each village was selected separately as the sample of the study by simple random sampling procedure. Thus the sample size was 101. A reserve list of 10 percent of the sample size was also prepared in case of absence of the selected sample during data collection despite all attempts. b). Data collection and processing Data were collected personally by the researcher himself through face to face visit to all the selected farmers during 1st August, 2014 to 10th September, 2014. The collected data were systematically recorded, edited, arranged, compiled, tabulated, computerized and analyzed in accordance with the objectives of the study. Different statistical treatments like frequency, range, mean, percentage, distribution, standard deviation, categories and indices etc. were used to describe, represent and explaining the relationship among variables in this study. c). Variables of the study In the present study, ten selected characteristics namely age, education, farm size, farming experience, annual income, training experience, communication exposure, organizational participation, agricultural knowledge and fatalism were selected as the independent variable, which measured using the prevailing standard methods. Farmers’ perception of climate change effects on coastal agriculture was the dependent variable. The procedure followed in measuring the dependent variable is presented below. d) Measurement of Farmers’ perceptions on effects of climate change on coastal agriculture: A- five point rating scale ranging from ‘’strongly agree’’ to ‘’strongly disagree’’ was developed to measure the extent of perception of climate change effect in affected areas. Strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree and strongly disagree was assigned as 4,3,2,1 and 0. The extent of perception of climate change found by the farmers was computed by adding all scores obtained from 25 aspects of perception on climate change observed by respondents. The perception of climate change score of the respondents ranged from 0 to 100 where 0 indicating no perception of climate change and 100 indicating extreme perception. To find out the relationship between the farmers’ perception of climate change effects on coastal agriculture and the selected characteristics of the farmers, the Pearson’s Product Correlation was computed. To determine the interrelationships among the variables Correlation matrix was also computed. Five percent (0.5) levels of significance were used as the basis of statistical significance.

Source of Information: Globa l Journal of Science Frontier Research: D Agriculture and Veterinary Volume 15 Issue 4 Version 1.0 Year 2015 Type : Global Journals Inc. (USA) Online ISSN:2249-4 626 & Print ISSN: 0975-5896

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Achievement/Findings:

Bangladesh’s coast is the worst victim to natural disasters. Climate change impacts are already adding significant stress to physical and environmental resources of the people, their human ability, and socio-economic activities. In this paper the perception of farmers towards climate change effects on coastal agriculture in the study has been explored. Out of 10 independent variables, the correlation coefficients of 6 variables were significant. These were education, farm size, annual family income, communication exposure, agricultural knowledge, and fatalism. Fatalism was negatively significant and rests of those were positively significant. It is found that majority farmers have unfavorable perception about climate change effects on agriculture as because most of the farmers have lower access to education, low communication exposure and they are highly fatalistic in nature. Most of them are living hand to mouth with small farm size and low income. Due to low income farmers children are drop out from school sat early age and those drop out students one day become farmer by tradition and they also bear the fatalistic behavior and seldom tries to adapt with the changed climatic effects on agriculture. If someone tries to take any adaptation measures due to lack of information they can’t because of the lower communication exposure and extension agents are not available to them. Thus the fate of the coastal farmers remains unchanged as they are the victim of vicious cycle of poor. So the study conclude that proper stakeholders like NGOs, Government, donor agencies etc. should take necessary steps to educate the farmers children, prevent drop out of farmers children, subsidies for coastal students education under different projects, should initiate training programme for the coastal farmers about climate change effects on coastal agriculture and adaptation measures, which will increase their perception level towards climate change effects on coastal agriculture.

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