Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and their adaptation strategies: The case of Ngamiland East, Botswana

Abstract

Over the years, climate change and variability have led to a substantial decline in agricultural productivity in both developing and developed countries. Small-scale farmers are particularly at risk. The responses of farmers to climate change and variability are often dependent on their perceptions of climate change. Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of adaptation strategies that are feasible and practised at farm level. Despite this need, in some developing countries such as Botswana, there is a dearth of studies that use mixed research methods to critically analyse farmers’ perceptions of climate change and their adaptation strategies. This study uses empirical data collected from farming households in the Ngamiland East region of Botswana to (i) analyse the perceptions of small-scale farmers regarding climate change, (ii) analyse small-scale farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change, and (iii) determine constraints faced by farmers in adapting to climate change and variability. The results show that there is a direct relationship between the farmers’ adaptation strategies and education. Unlike findings from other studies, the results of the study show that there is no significant relationship between gender and farmers’ adaptation strategies. The results verify that there is high heterogeneity characterising the case studies, making adaptation studies case-specific. Farmers in the Ngamiland region are faced with several challenges in their attempt to adapt to climate change. Chief among the constraints is the lack of financial resources and lack of appropriate skills. The government should empower the farmers through provision of subsidies and skills training.