Farmers’ adaptations of soil and water conservation in mitigating climate change

Abstract

Climate change has several negative impacts on various sectors, especially on agriculture. Farmer practices play a significant role in mitigation of climate change. Soil and water conservation methods are among these practices. In this study, farmers’ awareness of climate change and adaptation of soil and water conservation practices were investigated in TR22 region (Balıkesir and Çanakkale provinces) of Turkey. Farmers’ awareness of climate change was tested with binary logistic regression model. Farmers’ adaptation of soil and water conservation practices was analyzed with chi-square test. The soil and water conservation adaptation typology were developed based on previous literatures. The developed typology included seven practices for soil conservation and six practices for water conservation. Present findings revealed that farmers were generally worried about climate change. Test results revealed that participant farmers had a high potential for the implementation of soil and water conservation practices. The factors influencing farmers’ adaptation of soil and water conservation practices were identified as climate change training willingness, number of households working in agriculture, agricultural income, place of settlement, and non-agricultural income. These factors may guide policy makers in mitigation of climate change.