Perception, Knowledge And Coping Strategies Of Farm Women for Climate Change
- P hd (Agri)
- Dharwad University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad 2024
- 255 32 Cms
Farm women play a crucial role in agriculture and natural resource management, making them highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Despite their significant contributions, their knowledge, perceptions and coping mechanisms related to climate change remain underexplored. The study “Perception, Knowledge and Coping Strategies of Farm Women for Climate Change” was conducted in 2019-20 across four agro-climatic zones of Karnataka-Northern Dry Zone (NDZ), Northern Transition Zone (NTZ), Hilly Zone (HZ) and Coastal Zone (CZ). A sample of 500 farm women was selected through purposive random sampling and data were collected via structured interviews. The analysis employed indices, ANOVA, correlation and regression methods.Key findings revealed that most participants were aged between 31–40 years (53.40%). Over 55.80 per cent were illiterate and nuclear families were prevalent (69.60%). Marginal farmers dominated (64.80%) particularly in CZ (88.00%) and HZ (84.00%). Most women (55.60%) had 1–20 years of farming experience with low annual incomes (62.20%) prevalent across zone. Cows and buffaloes were the most common livestock owned by significant number of families surveyed (84 and 55 respectively). However, organizational participation (100.00%) and mass media exposure (76.80%) were very low, along with limited information-seeking behavior (83.00%).Perception of climate change varied across zones, with HZ and CZ showing significantly higher levels (mean values of 120.44 and 120.41respectively) as confirmed by ANOVA. Knowledge levels were limited in NDZ and NTZ, while 25.00 per cent of women in HZ and CZ displayed some basic understanding. Knowledge was higher for specific areas like the effects on livestock (100.00), fisheries (99.04) and agriculture (89.88), but lower for general effects (54.49) and impacts on human health (34.72). CZ women exhibited better knowledge, regarding fisheries (99.04).Climate change impacts farm and home management significantly. In farm management, increased temperatures caused heat stress, pest outbreaks and reduced crop productivity, prompting strategies like intercropping, mulching and heat-tolerant crop varieties. Erratic rainfall disrupted planting schedules and caused water scarcity and floods, addressed through rainwater harvesting, efficient irrigation and water-resistant crops. Shortened winters led to increased pest population, managed through adjustments in planting schedules and pest-resistant varieties. Extreme events like droughts and floods caused crop failures and economic losses, prompting coping mechanisms like crop insurance, livelihood diversification and flood debris removal.In home management, increased temperatures reduced livestock productivity and caused heat stress and were mitigated through cooling techniques, improved livestock diets and adjusted work hours. Erratic rainfall caused health and financial issues, managed through water filtration, medical consultations and migration. Shorter winters brought respiratory problems, addressed through warmer clothing and home remedies. Extreme events disrupted utilities and caused psychological stress, prompting income diversification and community support.The study highlights the knowledge gaps, challenges and resilience of farm women in responding to climate change. Their coping mechanisms, including Indigenous Technology Knowledge (ITK) underscore the need for targeted interventions to build their adaptive capacity and strengthen resilience against climate-related adversities.