Farmers’ Perception and Adaptation to Climate Change in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar

Master's Thesis , 2017 , 79 Pages , Grade: 1.5

Geography / Earth Science - Meteorology, Aeronomy, Climatology

The Central Dry Zone covers about 13 % of Myanmar and is home to nearly a third of the total population of 52 million. The majority of households depend on agriculture-based income (83%). Besides low profitability, poor diversification, and high reliance on credit, these agricultural households are subject to additional stress by soil degradation, erratic rainfall patterns and extreme temperatures, and commodity price fluctuations. Particularly the climate change phenomena have become recently a major constraining factor for agricultural production in the Dry Zone. In this study we explore how farmers perceive agricultural problems in relation to climate change, and which strategies they apply to cope with and adapt agricultural practices to climate change based on traditional knowledge. Based on household surveys, participatory rural appraisals (PRA) and key-informant interviews it can be concluded that most farmers recognize climate change as a key constraint as they perceive their agricultural production being severely impacted, particularly by erratic rainfall. In response to increasingly frequent pre-monsoon droughts, some farmers have actually abandoned during the past 15 years cultivating rice as the main subsistence and market-crop, but also the cultivation of pre-monsoon crops such as sesame. Most farmers have traditionally been dealing with climatic risks by providing supplementary irrigation, e.g. by establishing tube wells, by cultivating short-cycled cash crop instead of rice, and by substituting annual crops by fruit orchards. Some farmers have done changes in cropping patterns and agronomic practices. These differentially affect adaptation to climate change and there are still needs of institutional support with the knowledge and technology for the unfinished-adaptation measures. There are the strong linkages between farmers’ perceptions and their adaptation to climate risks at the farm level, and the adaptation measures are likely conducted on their own knowledge. Traditional knowledge and expert knowledge must be combined in order to work for successful adaptation to climate change.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER-I: INTRODUCTION
• 1.1 Research objectives of the study
• 1.2 Structure of the thesis
• CHAPTER-II: CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORKS OF THE STUDY
• 2.1 Actions of Climate change
• 2.2 The impacts of climate change on agriculture
• 2.3 Vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience to hazards and risks by climate change
• 2.4 Linkages between perception and adaptation of farmers to climate change
• CHAPTER-III: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
• 3.1 The perception aspects of farmers to climate change
• 3.2 The adaptation of farmers to climate change
• 3.3 Overview of climate risks and climate change aspects in Myanmar and the Central Dry Zone
• 3.4 Overview of important social and economic characteristics of Central Dry Zone
• CHAPTER-IV: MATERIALS AND METHODS
• 4.1 Selection of the study area
• 4.2 Selection of study group
• 4.3 Questionnaires
• 4.4 Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA)
• 4.4.1 Village hazard map
• 4.4.2 Historical timeline
• 4.4.3 Seasonal Calendar
• 4.4.4 Ranking impacts
• 4.4.5 Line graphs
• 4.4.6 Semi-structured interview (Part 2 of PRA)
• 4.5 Key informant interviews
• CHAPTER-V: RESULTS
• 5.1 General description of survey respondents
• 5.1.1 Age and gender status of respondents
• 5.1.2 Literacy and education status of the respondents
• 5.1.3 Income structure of the respondents
• 5.1.4 Farmers' property and access to resources
• 5.2 Farmers' perception on climate change impacts in Central Dry Zone (CDZ)
• 5.2.1 Understanding Climate Change: it's meaning and climate change trends
• 5.2.2 Farmers' experience of living with natural disasters
• 5.2.3 Farmers' perception of climate risks and climate change impacts on crop production
• 5.3 Farmers' adaptation to climate change impacts in agricultural production
• 5.3.1 Changes in crops
• 5.3.2 Changes in crop varieties
• 5.3.3 Changes in cropping practices
• 5.3.4 Adaptation of land and water resource management
• 5.3.5 Adaptation: outcomes and inputs needed
• 5.3.6 Unaccomplished adaptation: Reasons for not adapting
• CHAPTER-VI: DISCUSSION
• 6.1 Exposure to climate risks, perception of climate risks, needs for adaptation
• 6.2 Adaptation practices, relations to risk perception, adaptation outcomes
• 6.3 Conditions for successful adaptation
• CHAPTER- VII: LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
• CHAPTER-VIII: CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER-IX: RECOMMENDATION
• REFERENCES

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This master thesis aims to investigate farmers' perceptions of climate change and their adaptation strategies in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar. The study focuses on understanding how farmers perceive climate change impacts, the adaptation measures they implement, and the factors influencing their decisions.

• Farmers' perception of climate change impacts
• Adaptation strategies employed by farmers
• Factors influencing farmers' adaptation decisions
• The relationship between perception, adaptation, and vulnerability to climate change
• The role of social and economic factors in shaping farmers' responses to climate change

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter I introduces the research objectives and the structure of the thesis. Chapter II presents the conceptual framework of the study, outlining the impacts of climate change on agriculture, vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience, and the linkages between farmer perception and adaptation. Chapter III reviews relevant literature on farmer perception, adaptation strategies, and the specific context of climate change in Myanmar and the Central Dry Zone. Chapter IV details the methodology employed, including the selection of the study area and participants, data collection methods, and analytical approaches. Chapter V presents the results of the study, analyzing farmer demographics, perceptions of climate change, experiences with natural disasters, and adaptation practices. Chapter VI discusses the findings in relation to the literature, exploring the relationship between exposure to climate risks, perception, adaptation, and factors influencing successful adaptation. Chapter VII discusses the limitations of the study. Chapter VIII concludes the thesis, summarizing key findings and implications for future research and policy interventions.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The study focuses on the following keywords: climate change, perception, adaptation, vulnerability, resilience, agriculture, farmers, Central Dry Zone, Myanmar, participatory rural appraisal, qualitative research, quantitative research.

• College: University of Bonn (Faculty of Agriculture)
• Course: Agricultural sciences and resource management in the tropics and sub-tropics
• Grade: 1.5
• Author: Akary Min (Author)
• Publication Year: 2017
• Pages: 79
• Catalog Number: V426707
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668707542
• ISBN (Book): 9783668707559
• Language: English
• Tags: Farmer, Climate, Change, Dry, Myanmar, Adaption, agronomic practices, drought, erratic rainfall, groundwater adoption, traditional and expert knowledge.