Environmental and Sustainability Indicators (Dec 2023)
Climate change vulnerability and resilience strategies for citrus farmers
Abstract
The adverse effects of climate change on food production, livelihoods and agroecosystems are well-documented. This paper investigates the vulnerability and resilience of citrus farmers to climate change using a mixed quantitative and qualitative methodology. The quantitative study analysed the trend and variability of the climatic data comprising annual precipitation and annual average, minimum and maximum temperatures (1984-2021), collected from Iran's Meteorology Organization and analysed by the Mann-Kendall test. The qualitative research also employed the grounded theory method (GTM) and collected data through direct observations of citrus farms, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 35 citrus farmers and 11 agricultural extension agents and specialists in North Iran. The results indicated that citrus farms are sensitive to temperature extremes, with increased instances of freeze stress during winter and heat stress during spring and summer over the past four decades. These stresses have reduced the productivity and marketability of fruits, making farmers' livelihoods more vulnerable. While scientific knowledge exists, farmers generally have limited adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change. Existing policies, innovations and institutions are insufficient to enhance farmers' resilience. To cope with climate change-induced hazards, resilience mechanisms in the long and short term are necessary to mitigate, prepare and reconstruct before, during and after the incidence of such events. Effective strategies, such as input, insurance and credit support services and innovations, are thus required to increase farmers' resilience. This paper also offers insights into the way external organisations' policies and institutional strategies affect farmers' vulnerability and resilience to climate change.
