Assessing small livestock herders’ adaptation to climate variability and its impact on livestock losses and poverty

Perceptions, Vulnerability and Adaptation Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change Effects among Small Livestock Herders in Punjab, Pakistan

“…In developing countries, the level of vulnerability of small farmers to CC is further intensified because of their low adoptive capacity, poor institutional support, and the temporary nature of resilience-enhancing infrastructure [7,8]. The current risk to households' wellbeing and food security is higher in these countries because smallholders' livelihoods are more exposed to CC [9][10][11]. It is expected that CC will affect the occurrence of diseases, increase the severity and frequency of floods and droughts, increase the probability of crop failure, decrease yields, and increase livestock mortality [6,[11][12][13].…”

“…The current risk to households' wellbeing and food security is higher in these countries because smallholders' livelihoods are more exposed to CC [9][10][11]. It is expected that CC will affect the occurrence of diseases, increase the severity and frequency of floods and droughts, increase the probability of crop failure, decrease yields, and increase livestock mortality [6,[11][12][13]. Considering the close association between individuals' income and agricultural production [14], the negative impact of CC on livestock may increase the vulnerability of small livestock herders.…”

“…Various approaches are taken by individuals and societies to safeguard themselves against the effects of the weather. The extant literature has examined the multidimensional perspectives of CC with an emphasis on risk perception, potential barriers, impacts, adoption intensions, and adaptations in different areas [6,11,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Ahmad and Ma [16] highlight individual perceptions of CC extreme events, and compare these with meteorological data on temperature and rainfall.…”

“…Surprisingly, no study has been performed in Pakistan in the context of region-wise assessment of livestock herders' perceptions and vulnerability to CC, including a comparison to meteorological data. Comprehending individuals' perceptions of CC and vulnerability would be beneficial for the formulation of effective adaptation strategies [5,8,14] that would ultimately help achieve sustained social and economic development among nations and regions [6,11]. Moreover, CC adaptation measures have numerous benefits [11].…”

“…Comprehending individuals' perceptions of CC and vulnerability would be beneficial for the formulation of effective adaptation strategies [5,8,14] that would ultimately help achieve sustained social and economic development among nations and regions [6,11]. Moreover, CC adaptation measures have numerous benefits [11]. Therefore, to expand the adoption and promotion of CC measures, it is important to explore the determinants of adoption.…”