Technical Assistance Providers Identify Climate Change Adaptation Practices and Barriers to Adoption among California Agricultural Producers

Devon Johnson, Lauren E. Parker (), Tapan B. Pathak, Laura Crothers and Steven M. Ostoja
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Devon Johnson: USDA California Climate Hub, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Lauren E. Parker: USDA California Climate Hub, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Tapan B. Pathak: Cooperative Extension, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Laura Crothers: Independent Researcher, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Steven M. Ostoja: USDA California Climate Hub, Davis, CA 95616, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Climate change will challenge California agriculture, requiring producers (i.e., farmers and ranchers) to adopt climate-adaptive management practices to sustain production. Agricultural technical assistance providers (TAPs) play a significant role in supporting producers’ efforts to adopt climate-smart management practices. It is therefore important to understand current TAP perceptions of climate change, TAP recommendations for climate adaptation, and the barriers to adopting climate-smart practices. To understand these issues, we held four focus group discussions with small groups of TAPs from across the state and evaluated transcripts from the discussions to identify common themes and concepts. The TAPs that participated in the focus groups understood climate change and its impacts on California agriculture, with climate extremes and water-related issues being the most frequently cited climate-related challenges. Focus group discussions and subsequent evaluation revealed that while TAPs recommend science-backed practices for adapting California agriculture to climate change, producers may not be accepting of some recommendations. Critically, the TAP focus groups cited insufficient monetary support—both for themselves and for producers—and insufficient information and messaging around climate-adaptive practices as key barriers to practice adoption. This improved understanding of the intersection of TAPs’ work on climate change and climate adaptation in California agriculture is useful for the development of information and resources that can bridge these identified barriers.

Keywords: agriculture; climate change; climate adaptation; focus groups (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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