Institutional Factors Affecting Farmers’ Decision to Adapt to Climate Change

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change has become the global focal point especially in recent years. Researchers have defined adaptation to climate change as an effective way for farmers to survive in the face of the scourge. This paper investigated how institutional factors plays a role in farmers’ decision to adapt to climate change. The population of the study was emerging farmers drawn from five districts of the Limpopo province of South Africa. The study used a two-stage cluster sampling technique to select a sample size of 206 emerging farmers. The dependent variable of the study was farmers’ decision to adapt to climate change while the explanatory variables consisted of institutional factors such as access to extension services, farmers’ organisation, membership and access to climate change information. Binary Logistic Regression model was used to determine emerging farmers’ decision to adapt to climate change in Limpopo province. The results showed that institutional factors such as access to both weather information and extension services together with special training on climate change adaptation significantly influenced farmers’ decision to adapt. Therefore, the study recommended participation of different stakeholders to provide institutional support to farmers and thus enhance their extent to adaptation.