Peer review

A key issue arising from farmers’ climate change adaptation practices in agriculture is whether autonomous adaptations improve crop production and productivity. A comparison of crop productivity between farms employing autonomous adaptations and those not adopting provides an empirical means of resolving this question. This study assesses the climate change adaptation practices used by rice farmers in the Tanahun district of Nepal, their impact on rice productivity, and the factors that affect farmers’ decisions to adopt adaptation practices. Adaptation practices used by rice farmers include adjustment in timing of farm operations, selection of varieties, crop rotation, improved irrigation, and fertilizer management. Rice productivity was found to be significantly higher among adopting farmers compared to non-adopting farmers. The findings further suggest that age of the household head, family size, migration of family members outside their village, number of plots under rice cultivation, land holding, and farmers’ access to information on climate change all influence farmers’ adaptation decisions. This study provides empirical evidence indicating the need for policy makers to take into consideration autonomous adaptations when designing planned adaptations against likely impacts of climate change.

Text in English