Climate smart agriculture: Assessing needs and perceptions of California's farmers

Authors: IKENDI, SAMUEL - University Of California; PINZON, NATALIA - University Of California; KOUNDINYA, VIKRAM - University Of California, Davis; TAKU-FORCHU, NAMA - University Of Wisconsin; ROCHE, LESLIE - University Of California, Davis; Ostoja, Steven; PARKER, LAUREN - University Of California, Davis; ZACCARIA, DANIELE - University Of California, Davis; COOPER, MARK - University Of California, Davis; DIAZ-RAMIREZ, JAIRO - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR); BRODT, SONJA - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR); BATTANY, MARK - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR); RIJAL, JHALENDRA - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR); PATHAK, TAPAN - University Of California Agriculture And Natural Resources (UCANR)

Submitted to: Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/24/2024
Publication Date: 6/14/2024
Citation: Ikendi, S., Pinzon, N.J., Koundinya, V., Taku-Forchu, N.C., Roche, L.M., Ostoja, S.M., Parker, L.E., Zaccaria, D., Cooper, M.H., Diaz-Ramirez, J.N., Brodt, S., Battany, M., Rijal, J.P., Pathak, T.B. 2024. Climate smart agriculture: Assessing needs and perceptions of California's farmers. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 8. Article 1395547. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1395547.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1395547

Interpretive Summary: California's farmers, ranchers, and technical service providers are facing growing challenges to their livelihoods as a result of changing climate and weather. In order to sustain production in the future, farmers and ranchers will need to adopt practices that increase their resilience to these changes and technical service providers will need to assist them in doing so. In order to determine how entities like the USDA Climate Hub and the University of California Cooperative Extension can serve these communities and bolster climate adaptation, a needs assessment was designed to better understand climate change perceptions, risk management or adaptive practices currently employed, and what information, tools, or resources would be of greatest use in supporting decision making. This assessment was conducted in the form of a statewide survey. The results of the assessment revealed that California's farmers, ranchers, and technical service providers are experiencing climate change impacts to their operations now and are implementing practices related to water management and soils health to combat negative impacts. Survey respondents also indicated that online tools and resources, along with workshops, would be of use in knowledge sharing to support decision making.

Technical Abstract: California is the largest agricultural economy in the United States; however, its current and projected climate risks pose significant challenges. Farmers will need to adapt to climate change in their farming practices. The goal of this needs assessment was to understand farmers’ perceptions and experiences with climate change exposures; the risk management practices they currently use; and what tools and resources would assist them in making strategic decisions. A statewide survey was conducted through Qualtrics with farmers (n=341). Results showed that 67% of the farmers agree (agree+strongly agree) that climate change is happening, and 53.1% agreed that actions are required. Moreover, historically underrepresented farmers were very concerned about climate change-related impacts related to water, temperatures, and natural disasters. Farmers are currently implementing adaptation practices related to water management, soil health, and renewable energy and are also seeking insurance and government assistance programs to increase agricultural resilience. They also expressed interest and a high need for information on those adaptation practices and programs to acquire skills and knowledge to manage various challenges of farming in variable climates. Also, the assessment established that farmers (47.5%) use decision support tools, mostly weather stations (22.4%); and 51.9% indicated their interest in using online tools designed to translate climate information into forms that support production decision-making. Farmers (60.8%) responded that they would or may attend workshops to learn about adaptation practices and programs. The findings of this needs assessment will inform the development of extension education programs on climate-smart agriculture for farmers in California and elsewhere.