How to Communicate with Farmers about Climate Change: Farmers' Perceptions and Adaptations to Increasingly Variable Weather Patterns in Maine (USA)

Jemison, John M.; Hall, Damon M.; Welcomer, Stephanie A.; Haskell, Jane E

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2014.044.001

Cited by 14 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, considering how to bundle the benefits of adaptation practices in a way ensures that multiple benefits come from a single practice is also essential. Some practices such as cover cropping, reducing tillage, reducing on-farm energy use and developing local markets offer multiple benefits and are considered sound and sustainable practices that farmers should consider adopting regardless of how they view the idea of climate change (Jemison et al, 2014). Interdisciplinary research and programming must identify strategies that not only pursue adaptation and mitigation at the same time but also other concerns such as profitability and productivity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because climate change is a long-term, multi-decadal phenomenon, it is difficult to measure individuals’ perceptions in the here and now. Other researchers, confronting a similar challenge, have asked farmers about variable or extreme weather (Jemison et al, 2014; Mase et al, 2017), given that this is a manifestation of climate change. While we recognize that single weather events cannot necessarily be attributed to climate change, the focus group questions asked farmers to consider a 10-yr time frame, a substantial amount of time for multiple extreme weather events to occur.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In their comprehensive literature review, Chatrchyan et al (2017) found that among 84 studies addressing US agricultural stakeholder views and decisions related to climate impacts, risks and opportunities, only four focused on the Northeastern region. The few studies that have been focused on the Northeast suggest that farmers in the region are adapting to climate change but are much less willing to mitigate it by reducing greenhouse gas emissions or sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide (Jemison et al, 2014; Kuehn, 2016; Schattman et al, 2016). Because expert knowledge generated by climate science is not guaranteed to translate to adoption among farmers (Walthall, 2012; Prokopy et al, 2015), understanding the factors that motivate or prevent farmers from adapting to and mitigating climate change is critical.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Climate change and agriculture in New York and Pennsylvania: risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers

Lane

Chatrchyan

Tobin

et al. 2018

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Climate change impacts on agriculture have been intensifying in the Northeastern United States. In order to encourage the adoption of climate change adaptation and mitigation practices by farmers, it is critical to understand their perspectives on the risks they face and actions they are taking. However, very few empirical studies have considered how farmers are interpreting and responding to climate impacts, risks and opportunities in the Northeast. This study investigates farmer views and decisions related to climate change using data from six farmer focus groups conducted across New York and Pennsylvania. The study examined how farmers perceived climate impacts on their farms, the practices they are willing to adopt, and how perceived risks and vulnerability affect farmers’ decision-making related to adaptation and mitigation strategies. Although farmers articulated concern regarding climate impacts, they also made clear that other business pressures, such as profitability, market conditions, labor availability or government regulations were often more critical issues that affected their decision-making. Decisions about adopting climate change adaptation and mitigation practices vary widely, and personal experience with extreme weather and changing seasons affected decision-making. The findings from this study provide improved understanding of farmers’ needs and priorities, which can help guide land-grant researchers, extension and policymakers in their efforts to develop and coordinate a comprehensive strategy to address climate change impacts on agriculture in the Northeast.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate change and agriculture in New York and Pennsylvania: risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers

Lane

Chatrchyan

Tobin

et al. 2018

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fifty-two per cent of these respondents indicated that they have already taken action to respond to climate change on their farms. It is clear that farmers from other parts of the country are also beginning to take action in response to climate change (Jemison et al ., 2014; White et al ., 2018; Schattman et al ., 2018 b ) and many farmers anticipate taking action in response to projected changes (Haden et al ., 2012; Niles et al ., 2016; Roesch-McNally, 2018; Roesch-McNally et al ., 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing perceptions of climate risk and adaptation among small farmers in Oregon's Willamette Valley

Roesch‐McNally

Garrett

Fery

2019

Renew. Agric. Food Syst.

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Farmers, particularly small farmers, are on the frontlines of climate change. In Oregon's Southern Willamette Valley, a needs assessment was conducted of small farmers in 2017, where questions related to climate change risks, attitudes toward adaptation and climate beliefs were assessed. Out of all the respondents (n = 123), the majority (70%) believe that climate change is occurring, and is caused mostly by human activities. The majority (58%) also strongly agree with the statement that they will have to change practices to cope with increasing climate variability in order to ensure the long-term success of their operation. Another 52% of these respondents indicated that they have already taken action to respond to climate change on their farms. However, only 32% of respondents agreed with the statement that they have the knowledge and skills to deal with weather-related threats to their operation. While this work is preliminary and not comprehensive, our findings suggest that these small farmers are concerned about climate change, readily accept the science as compared to other farmer groups in the USA, and are looking for additional tools and resource to increase their confidence in responding to the challenges they will face as a consequence of climate change.

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“…Past research indicates that understanding the factors, including perceptions of climate change, that affect the ability of producers to adapt to change is essential (Jemison, Hall, Welcomer, & Haskell, 2014;Ogalleh, Vogl, & Hauser, 2013). A range of views exist on climate change in the United States, from those who believe action must be taken to reduce carbon emissions, to those who do not believe climate change is occurring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adapting to Climate Change: Perceptions of Maple Producers in New York and Vermont

Kuehn

Chase

Sharkey

2017

J. Agric. Food Syst. Community Dev.

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Maple production is an important part of local food systems in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada, where producers rely on maple as a source of income and as the basis for longstanding family and community traditions. Like many other sectors of the food system, maple production is vulnerable to climate change because of its potential impacts on forest type, tree health and vigor, and timing of sap flow. Since maple producers depend on the health of sugar maples for their livelihood and cultural traditions, adapting to changes in maple production will likely be necessary in the future and will require planning. The goal of this study is to assess the perceptions of maple producers and engage them in the development of strategies for adapting to the potential impacts of climate Authors' NotesBasic results of the interviews for this study have been presented at the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium (see Sharkey, Kuehn, & Chase, 2015). Most of the interview information presented herein has not been previously presented.Results from this study have also been made available through an online ESF report (see Kuehn, Chase, Sharkey, & Powers, 2016).Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development ISSN: 2152-0801 online http://www.foodsystemsjournal.org 44Volume 7, Issue 3 / Spring-Summer 2017 change. The mixed methods research approach for this study included interviews and a survey of maple producers in the Northern Forest region of New York and Vermont. Results indicate that more than half of the maple producers who responded to the survey expressed concerns about climate change, and more than two-thirds had already made or were planning to make modifications to their businesses. Two factors that were identified as most important to respondents when assessing adaptability to climate change are resiliency of the maple producers' sugar bush and the producers' ability to adopt new technologies. These findings are not just relevant for maple production; they have important implications for climate change adaptation of food systems.

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How to Communicate with Farmers about Climate Change: Farmers' Perceptions and Adaptations to Increasingly Variable Weather Patterns in Maine (USA)

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

Climate change and agriculture in New York and Pennsylvania: risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers

Climate change and agriculture in New York and Pennsylvania: risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers

Assessing perceptions of climate risk and adaptation among small farmers in Oregon's Willamette Valley

Adapting to Climate Change: Perceptions of Maple Producers in New York and Vermont

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