Determinants of farmers’ adaptation decisions under changing climate: the case of Fars province in Iran

Samane Ghazali, Hossein Azadi (), Alishir Kurban, Nicolae Ajtai, Marcin Pietrzykowski and Frank Witlox
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Samane Ghazali: Shiraz University
Hossein Azadi: Ghent University
Alishir Kurban: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Nicolae Ajtai: Babeş-Bolyai University
Marcin Pietrzykowski: University of Agriculture in Krakow
Frank Witlox: Ghent University

Climatic Change, 2021, vol. 166, issue 1, No 6, 24 pages

Abstract: Abstract Climate change is a serious concern for the agricultural sector given that this sector is highly dependent on climate conditions. Moreover, farmersʼ adaptation process under changing climate can be explained by the psychological factors and the incorporation of socio-environmental background. Therefore, the current study aimed at socio-cognitive perceptions and extended protection motivation theory (PMT) as the basis. This paper estimated the influence of cognitive factors on individualsʼ views and decisions regarding climate change adaptation. Data from this study came from a survey with 245 rural farmers in temperate mount areas of Fars province, Iran. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to estimate the different factors. Results showed that three core elements of the theory, namely, risk evaluation, adaptation evaluation, and maladaptation, were the statistically significant factors that could directly explain farmersʼ adaptation decisions to adopt appropriate coping strategies under changing climate. Findings also suggested that another structural factor, adaptation incentives, had a statistically significant influence on adaptation decision-making among farmers. The study proposed valuable insights on social discourse to promote adaptation. Findings strongly offered that social discourse should focus more strongly on confirming the truth and timeliness of information that individuals gained. Eventually, further investigations are necessary to conduct the measurement model in other cultures and geographical areas and see how socio-environmental components can influence risk evaluation and adaptation evaluation.

Keywords: Coping strategies; Maladaptation; Protection motivation theory; Structural equation modeling; Temperate mount areas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-03088-y

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