Scalar Mismatches and Underlying Factors for Underutilization of Climate Information: Perspectives From Farmers and Ranchers

Abstract

Growing demand for water resources coupled with climate-driven water scarcity and variability present critical challenges to agriculture in the Western US. Despite extensive resources allocated to downscaling climate projections and advances in understanding past, current, and future climatic conditions, climate information is underutilized in decisions made by agricultural producers. Climate information providers need to understand why this information is underutilized and what would better meet the needs of producers. To better understand how agricultural producers perceive and utilize climate information, we conducted five focus groups with farmers and ranchers across Montana. Focus groups revealed that there are fundamental scalar issues (spatial and temporal) that make climate information challenging for producers to use. While climate information is typically produced at regional, national, or global spatial scales and at a seasonal and mid- to end-of-century temporal scales, producers indicated that decision-making takes place at multiple intermediate and small temporal and spatial scales. In addition, producers described other drivers of decision-making that have little to do with climate information itself, but rather aspects of source credibility, past experience, trust in information, and the politics of climate change. Through engaging directly with end-users, climate information providers can better understand the spatial and temporal scales that align with different types of agricultural producers and decisions, as well as the limitations of information provision given the complexity of the decision context. Increased engagement between climate information providers and end-users can also address the important tradeoffs that exist between scale and uncertainty.

A Revised Adaptive Decision-Making Framework for Rangeland Management

“…These findings are consistent with other studies (McCrea et al 2005; Cash et al 2006; Ash et al 2007; Dong et al 2018). Following Smith et al (2021) and others, we suggest that trusted information providers in Montana work with ranchers to align the spatial and temporal scales of climate information, format of dissemination, and content with ranchers' decision-making needs, to the extent possible given the limits of climate forecasts and projections. The improvement of drought and climate-related resources, we posit, will involve mechanisms for iterative feedback and meaningful engagement between information providers and ranchers.…”

“…Thus, it is important that information on current and projected impacts of drought and climate events, along with information on adaptive management strategies in responses to these changes is available to ranchers seeking it through these channels. Moreover, as others have suggested ( Briske 2012 ;Smith et al 2021 ;Wilmer et al 2021 ), building cooperation among these diverse entities for communicating information and other learning opportunities for ranchers could potentially bring new ideas and opportunities to the table for adaptive rangeland management.…”

“…Beyond providing Montana ranchers with more opportunities to access information from trusted information sources, there is a need for the right type of climate-related information that is specifically designed to aid decision making. Numerous studies have shown that climate-related information is especially underutilized in decisions made by agricultural producers ( Dilling and Lemos 2011 ;Lemos et al 2012 ;Mase and Prokopy 2014 ;Smith et al 2021 ). For Montana farmer and ranchers, Smith et al (2021) found that the underuse of climate information is due to mismatches in the temporal and spatial scale affecting the utility of that information for decision making, as well as other factors interacting with scale, such as producers' perceptions of uncertainty or low accuracy of information, negative perceptions of source credibility, and a lack of trust in information providers ( Smith et al 2021 ).…”

“…Numerous studies have shown that climate-related information is especially underutilized in decisions made by agricultural producers ( Dilling and Lemos 2011 ;Lemos et al 2012 ;Mase and Prokopy 2014 ;Smith et al 2021 ). For Montana farmer and ranchers, Smith et al (2021) found that the underuse of climate information is due to mismatches in the temporal and spatial scale affecting the utility of that information for decision making, as well as other factors interacting with scale, such as producers' perceptions of uncertainty or low accuracy of information, negative perceptions of source credibility, and a lack of trust in information providers ( Smith et al 2021 ). Specifically, producers preferred climate information at smaller spatial scales (i.e., ranch or pasture-level) and short-term weather forecasts and seasonal climate forecasts were more useful than long-term projections (e.g., midcentury), in part because shorter timeframes were perceived to be more accurate.…”

Cap. 25. Grandes Llanuras del Norte. En: La Quinta Evaluación Nacional del Clima

“…Una respuesta planificada a la sequía puede involucrar ajustar el número de cabezas de ganado, la temporada de pastoreo, la duración del tiempo de pastoreo en los pastos con base en las precipitaciones y el crecimiento de la vegetación 264 o estrategias holísticas de pastoreo planificado que gestionen la salud del ecosistema adaptándose a las condiciones cambiantes 265 . Un estudio de 2017 encontró que casi el 60 % de los ganaderos de la región tenían algún tipo de plan de contingencia para la sequía 261 ; sin embargo, la adopción de datos meteorológicos y climáticos en las decisiones de gestión ha sido lenta 136,266 . El desarrollo de nuevos pronósticos de productividad de los pastizales puede aumentar la adopción al traducir las perspectivas climáticas en información utilizable para los ganaderos 267 .…”