The Central Dry Zone covers about 13 % of Myanmar and is home to nearly a third of the total population of 52 million. The majority of households depend on agriculture-based income (83%). Besides low profitability, poor diversification, and high reliance on credit, these agricultural households are subject to additional stress by soil degradation, erratic rainfall patterns and extreme temperatures, and commodity price fluctuations. Particularly the climate change phenomena have become recently a major constraining factor for agricultural production in the Dry Zone. In this study we explore how farmers perceive agricultural problems in relation to climate change, and which strategies they apply to cope with and adapt agricultural practices to climate change based on traditional knowledge. Based on household surveys, participatory rural appraisals (PRA) and key-informant interviews it can be concluded that most farmers recognize climate change as a key constraint as they perceive their agricultural production being severely impacted, particularly by erratic rainfall. In response to increasingly frequent pre-monsoon droughts, some farmers have actually abandoned during the past 15 years cultivating rice as the main subsistence and market-crop, but also the cultivation of pre-monsoon crops such as sesame. Most farmers have traditionally been dealing with climatic risks by providing supplementary irrigation, e.g. by establishing tube wells, by cultivating short-cycled cash crop instead of rice, and by substituting annual crops by fruit orchards. Some farmers have done changes in cropping patterns and agronomic practices. These differentially affect adaptation to climate change and there are still needs of institutional support with the knowledge and technology for the unfinished-adaptation measures. There are the strong linkages between farmers’ perceptions and their adaptation to climate risks at the farm level, and the adaptation measures are likely conducted on their own knowledge. Traditional knowledge and expert knowledge must be combined in order to work for successful adaptation to climate change.
Table of Contents
1 CHAPTER-I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research objectives of the study
1.2 Structure of the thesis
2 CHAPTER-II: CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORKS OF THE STUDY
2.1 Actions of Climate change
2.2 The impacts of climate change on agriculture
2.3 Vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience to hazards and risks by climate change
2.4. Linkages between perception and adaptation of farmers to climate change
3 CHAPTER-III: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
3.1 The perception aspects of farmers to climate change
3.2 The adaptation of farmers to climate change
3.3 Overview of climate risks and climate change aspects in Myanmar and the Central Dry Zone
3.4 Overview of important social and economic characteristics of Central Dry Zone
4 CHAPTER-IV: MATERIALS AND METHODS
4.1 Selection of the study area
4.2 Selection of study group
4.3 Questionnaires
4.4 Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA)
4.4.1 Village hazard map
4.4.2 Historical timeline
4.4.3 Seasonal Calendar
4.4.4 Ranking impacts
4.4.5 Line graphs
4.4.6 Semi-structured interview (Part 2 of PRA)
4.5 Key informant interviews
5 CHAPTER-V: RESULTS
5.1 General description of survey respondents
5.1.1 Age and gender status of respondents
5.1.2 Literacy and education status of the respondents
5.1.3 Income structure of the respondents
5.1.4 Farmers’ property and access to resources
5.2 Farmers’ perception on climate change impacts in Central Dry Zone (CDZ)
5.2.1 Understanding Climate Change: it’s meaning and climate change trends
5.2.2 Farmers’ experience of living with natural disasters
5.2.3 Farmers’ perception of climate risks and climate change impacts on crop production
5.3 Farmers’ adaptation to climate change impacts in agricultural production
5.3.1 Changes in crops
5.3.2 Changes in crop varieties
5.3.3 Changes in cropping practices
5.3.4 Adaptation of land and water resource management
5.3.5 Adaptation: outcomes and inputs needed
5.3.6 Unaccomplished adaptation: Reasons for not adapting
6 CHAPTER-VI: DISCUSSION
6.1 Exposure to climate risks, perception of climate risks, needs for adaptation
6.2 Adaptation practices, relations to risk perception, adaptation outcomes
6.3 Conditions for successful adaptation.
7 CHAPTER- VII: LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
8 CHAPTER-VIII: CONCLUSION
9 CHAPTER-IX: RECOMMENDATION
Research Objectives and Themes
This study aims to investigate how farmers in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar perceive climate change-related risks and impacts on their agricultural production, and to explore the adaptive strategies they employ to cope with these environmental challenges.
- Impacts of climate change on smallholder farming livelihoods.
- The relationship between risk perception and adaptation strategies.
- Traditional versus expert knowledge in agricultural decision-making.
- Socio-economic barriers to effective climate adaptation (e.g., credit, technology).
- Development of strategies to enhance community resilience.
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3.1 The perception aspects of farmers to climate change
Climate change perception is strongly related to the degree to which climate induced risks and opportunities affect the farmers and their livelihoods, and their responses and adaptation strategies are based on this perception (Adger et.al, 2005; Adger et al., 2003; Ndamani & Watanabe, 2015). The perception of experiences of natural and environmental factors varies individually (Hartig, Kaiser, & Bowler, 2001), but also between social groups, geographic locations and seasons of the year; men, women, and children do experience different levels of hardship and opportunity in the face of climate change (Ndamani & Watanabe, 2015). Although the perceptions are not necessarily consistent with measurable reality, they are considered to adequately reflect real challenges (Kusakari et al., 2014). However, misconceptions about climate change and its associated risks may result in no adaptation or maladaptation, thus increasing the negative impact of climate change (Grothmann and Patt 2005). In Pakistan for example, the number of farmers who do adapt to climate change is substantially smaller than the number of farmers who perceived some climatic risk or who planned to adaptive strategies (Abid, Scheffran, Schneider, & Ashfaq, 2015, p. 225-243).
In many places it is documented that farmers are aware and do notice long-term changes of rainfall and temperature trends in their daily lives (Debela et al., 2015, Ndamani & Watanabe, 2015, Kusakari et al., 2014). Debela et. al (2015) report on high numbers of farmers who perceived changes in temperature and rainfall. They expressed this in terms of both higher day and night time temperatures, below normal rainfall amounts, short duration and late onset of rainy seasons and higher frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in Ethiopia. Ndamani and Watanabe (2015) note that the degree of change that farmers perceive also depends on their exposure levels, resilience and adaptive capacities (Ndamani & Watanabe, 2015, p. 4593-4604).
Summary of Chapters
CHAPTER-I: INTRODUCTION: Introduces the critical role of agriculture in Myanmar and the increasing vulnerability of the Central Dry Zone to climate change, setting the research objectives.
CHAPTER-II: CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORKS OF THE STUDY: Explains the conceptual background regarding climate change, vulnerability, resilience, and the theoretical linkages between perception and adaptation.
CHAPTER-III: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE: Reviews existing studies on farmer perceptions of climate change and adaptation practices, including a specific overview of climate risks in the Central Dry Zone.
CHAPTER-IV: MATERIALS AND METHODS: Describes the methodology, including the selection of the study area, household surveys, and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools.
CHAPTER-V: RESULTS: Presents the findings of the empirical study, covering respondent characteristics, perception of climate risks, and adaptation strategies currently applied.
CHAPTER-VI: DISCUSSION: Interprets the findings by comparing them with other studies, focusing on exposure, adaptation outcomes, and the conditions required for success.
CHAPTER- VII: LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: Outlines the constraints faced during the research process, such as time limitations for fieldwork and representative issues.
CHAPTER-VIII: CONCLUSION: Summarizes the key insights, concluding that traditional knowledge must be integrated with expert knowledge for successful adaptation.
CHAPTER-IX: RECOMMENDATION: Proposes actionable advice for policy-makers and stakeholders to improve adaptation planning through targeted interventions and better extension services.
Keywords
agronomic practices, drought, erratic rainfall, groundwater adoption, traditional and expert knowledge, climate change, adaptation, resilience, Central Dry Zone, Myanmar, sustainable agriculture, risk perception, crop diversification, smallholder farmers, food security.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research examines how farmers in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar perceive climate change impacts and how they adapt their agricultural practices to these changes.
What are the primary themes investigated?
The study centers on farmer perception, climate risk exposure, vulnerability, adaptation strategies, and the barriers to effective agricultural change.
What is the main objective of the thesis?
The primary objective is to understand the linkages between how farmers perceive climate risks and the specific strategies they develop to maintain agricultural production and livelihoods.
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The study utilized a mixed-methods approach, including structured household surveys, Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA), and key informant interviews with experts.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers climate risk exposure, empirical results from the survey, discussions on adaptation outcomes, and an analysis of the barriers to implementation.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include agronomic practices, drought, erratic rainfall, groundwater adoption, and the synthesis of traditional and expert knowledge.
How does the Central Dry Zone differ from other regions?
The region is described as the most water-stressed area of Myanmar, characterized by high population density, poverty, and heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture.
Why are traditional and expert knowledge considered separately?
The study suggests that while traditional knowledge provides a practical basis for adaptation, it is no longer sufficient alone, requiring integration with modern expert knowledge for long-term success.
What is the major reason cited by farmers for not adapting?
The primary barriers include a lack of financial resources, limited access to modern technology and information, and market uncertainty regarding new crops.
- Quote paper
- Akary Min (Author), 2017, Farmers’ Perception and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/426707
