Livelihood Strategies and Agricultural Practices in Khonoma …
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climate change, more than half of the respondents (65%) displayed ‘medium’ level
of awareness about climate change followed by 27% who had ‘low’ awareness level,
and only 8% of the respondents had ‘high’ level of awareness about climate change
(Fig. 1).
Climate Change (CC) meant different things to different respondents. The majority of the respondent (57%) believes that CC is a change in the periodicity/pattern
of rainfall. Some (27%) felt that CC is reduced rainfall or drought; while some (9%)
thought it is increase in temperature. CC is thought to be decline of soil productivity
by 4% of the respondent. As many as 7% of respondents had no idea what the term
“climate change” meant, with 80% claiming to have noticed change in the climate
in the past 30 years preceding the study.
When we asked the respondents to state reasons for CC, responses varied from CC
being caused by factories and industries (36.67%) to it being God’s work (6.67%).
Respondents who felt that CC was due to increasing use of vehicles are around 32%.
Almost 5% of the respondents did not know the reasons for CC (Fig. 2).
However, what is important to note here is that none of the respondent considered
shifting cultivation as the cause of climate change. When we raise this issue in the
Fig. 1 Level of awareness
about climate change.
Source: Field Survey (2018)
Fig. 2 Causes of climate change. Source: Field Survey (2018)
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climate change, more than half of the respondents (65%) displayed ‘medium’ level
of awareness about climate change followed by 27% who had ‘low’ awareness level,
and only 8% of the respondents had ‘high’ level of awareness about climate change
(Fig. 1).
Climate Change (CC) meant different things to different respondents. The majority of the respondent (57%) believes that CC is a change in the periodicity/pattern
of rainfall. Some (27%) felt that CC is reduced rainfall or drought; while some (9%)
thought it is increase in temperature. CC is thought to be decline of soil productivity
by 4% of the respondent. As many as 7% of respondents had no idea what the term
“climate change” meant, with 80% claiming to have noticed change in the climate
in the past 30 years preceding the study.
When we asked the respondents to state reasons for CC, responses varied from CC
being caused by factories and industries (36.67%) to it being God’s work (6.67%).
Respondents who felt that CC was due to increasing use of vehicles are around 32%.
Almost 5% of the respondents did not know the reasons for CC (Fig. 2).
However, what is important to note here is that none of the respondent considered
shifting cultivation as the cause of climate change. When we raise this issue in the
Fig. 1 Level of awareness
about climate change.
Source: Field Survey (2018)
Fig. 2 Causes of climate change. Source: Field Survey (2018)