Climate Risk Management (Jan 2023)
Understanding farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation practices in the marshlands of South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
Abstract
Understanding farmers’ perceptions about climate change and adaptation strategies can help support their efforts and develop interventions more suited to the local context. This is particularly important for farmers who exploit fragile ecosystems such as marshlands.Using semi-structured questionnaires and interviews conducted with smallholder farmers in the marshlands of Kabare, this study compares the perception of men and women relating to climate change and uses the chi-square test and logistic regression to examine gendered differences in response to climate change and the determinants of farmers’ choice of sustainable practices. Meteorological data trends for three decades were also compared.Results showed that both men (77 %) and women (73 %) experienced climate change and this was illustrated by changes in temperature and rainfall patterns. Farmers’ climate change perceptions are consistent with the local historical climate data showing a slightly increasing trend of temperature and a decrease in rainfall for the last decade, particularly between 2013 and 2019. Although significant differences were observed between gender and sources of climate information (p < 0.05), 50 % of women farmers favored indigenous knowledge of climate, while 61 % of men farmers stated that experience exchange among fellow farmers helped to read and predict climate trends. The common impacts reported by farmers included the proliferation of pests (90 %), a decrease in soil fertility (75 %), and floods, resulting in crop failure. Farmers used various adaptation strategies in response to the perceived impacts. However, the choice of sustainable practices such as crop diversification, drainage, growing low-maintenance crops, and use of mulch and manure were associated with farmers ‘experience, exchanging information among fellow farmers, livestock ownership, and the perception of climatic threats to crops. The information provided in this paper is valuable for the farmers' resilience-building program.
