Farmers’ Perception of Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies in Dasmina Upazila, Patuakhali, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study examines the perceptions of climate change among farmers and their adaptation strategies in Dasmina Upazila, Patuakhali, a coastal region of Bangladesh susceptible to environmental changes. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, utilizing both closed-ended and open-ended structured questionnaires to collect data from 300 coastal farmers between March and July 2024. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software to interpret the findings. Results indicated that 95% of respondents exhibited a high level of awareness regarding climate change and its impacts on their lives and livelihoods. Farmers consistently reported observable changes over the past 22 years, including increased temperature, droughts, floods, cyclones, salinity levels, and decreased rainfall. The climate change risk perception index identified temperature as the highest perceived risk, while flooding ranked lowest. Additionally, the climate vulnerability index indicated substantial vulnerability in the study area, with a score of 0.482. Regarding adaptation strategies, the majority of farmers (82.50%) implemented medium-level adaptation measures, while 11.25% adopted high-level strategies and 6.25% employed low-level approaches, with an overall adaptation score of 39.43%. Among adaptation methods, changing crop varieties emerged as the most widely adopted strategy, whereas zero tillage was the least utilized. The problem-facing index identified pest incidence as the primary challenge hindering adaptation efforts, while prolonged crop harvesting ranked as the least significant obstacle. The findings highlight the necessity for targeted interventions and policy support to enhance the resilience of coastal farming communities in Bangladesh.