Withstanding the Storm: Farmers’ Insights on Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture in Murshidabad, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63960/sp.2026.sijmds.3.1.82Keywords:
Climate change perception, Indigenous ecological knowledge, Farmers’ ecological awareness, Government supportAbstract
In this mixed-methods study, the researcher investigates farmers’ perceptions of climate change, how this change affects their agricultural activities, and the measures they take to mitigate its impacts in Murshidabad District, West Bengal, eastern India. Data were gathered from 300 farmers across all 26 administrative blocks of the study area. A structured questionnaire combining Likert-scale and open-ended questions was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Statistical and inferential analysis of the quantitative data, including a one-sample Chi-Square goodness-of-fit test (p < .001), showed respondents’ strong awareness of climate change, such as rising summer temperatures, erratic monsoon onset and withdrawal, and declining rainfall patterns. Surprisingly, 80% of respondents reported decreasing agricultural incomes despite adopting short-duration and stress-tolerant crop varieties. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed their understanding of altered phenological cues, such as changing flowering times, and the emergence of new pest species and crop diseases. As adaptation strategies, they adjusted sowing and harvesting schedules, diversified crops, and shared irrigation systems. However, their vulnerability remains due to delayed crop insurance payments, limited access to timely weather information, and high agricultural costs. The study concludes that although farmers exhibit locally-based ecological knowledge and resilience, they require government support to sustain sustainable farming practices. Policy reforms should incorporate farmers’ experiential observations into early-warning systems, decentralize irrigation infrastructure, ensure timely crop insurance payouts, and implement capacity-building programs to strengthen climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods.
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