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Farmers’ perception of climate change in mediterranean Chile

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Abstract

Meteorologists predict that climate change will have an increasing impact on ecosystems and agricultural production; however, many farmers do not have a clear perception of climate change or how it may affect their crop yields and overall farming operation in the near future. This study examines climate change perceptions in four rural municipalities in Central Chile, and the effect that exposure to meteorological information has on such perceptions, using a survey conducted in 2011. It uses a probit model to identify the socioeconomic and productive factors associated with what we define as a “clear perception” of climate change. Most farmers in this survey recognize that there have been changes in temperature and precipitation patterns during the last 24 years: About 62 % perceive that the average temperatures have increased; 93 % that precipitation has decreased; and 87 % that droughts are more frequent. The econometric model shows the significance of education and access to meteorological information for climate change perception. The results reveal that younger, more educated producers and those who own their land tend to have a clearer perception of climate change than older, less educated, or tenant farmers. From a policy point of view, it is important to give all farmers information that will help them to adapt to climate change using appropriate farming technologies and practices. Projects and programs designed to enhance understanding of the consequences of climate change will help farmers to develop the management ability to cope with climate risk.

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Notes

  1. In our sample 94 % of the farmers are 36 years or older. Therefore, we expect that the Pope’s visit is a useful event to set the timeframe.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially supported by a research grant from the Latin American and Caribbean Environmental Economics Program (LACEEP) and a doctoral scholarship from Chilean National Comission for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICYT). The authors thank the Excellence Program of Interdisciplinary Research: Adaptation of Agriculture to Climate Change (A2C2) of Universidad de Talca and also the farmers who courteously answered our survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Universidad Católica del Maule, PO Box 617, Av. San Miguel # 3605, Talca, Chile

    Lisandro Roco

  2. Department of Agricultural Economics, Universidad de Talca, PO Box 747, 2 Norte # 685, Talca, Chile

    Alejandra Engler, Boris E. Bravo-Ureta & Roberto Jara-Rojas

  3. Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Department of Economics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-1182, USA

    Boris E. Bravo-Ureta

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  1. Lisandro Roco
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  2. Alejandra Engler
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  3. Boris E. Bravo-Ureta
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  4. Roberto Jara-Rojas
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Correspondence to Lisandro Roco.

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Roco, L., Engler, A., Bravo-Ureta, B.E. et al. Farmers’ perception of climate change in mediterranean Chile. Reg Environ Change 15, 867–879 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-014-0669-x

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