Assessment of Perceptions of Climatic Variability among Dairy Farmers: An Initiative towards Climate Resilient Dairy Farming System in Jharkhand, India
Kumari Shweta *
Department of VAHEE, CVSc & AH, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha-751003, India.
Pankaj Kumar
Department of VPHE, CoVSc & AH, BAU, Ranchi, Jharkhand-834006, India.
Jagarnath Oraon
Department of VAHEE, CoVSc & AH, BAU, Ranchi, Jharkhand-834006, India.
Alok Kumar Pandey
Department of VAHEE, CoVSc & AH, BAU, Ranchi, Jharkhand-834006, India.
Shilpi Priya Sunita Bara
Department of VAHEE, CVSc & AH, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha-751003, India.
Nirupama Dalai
Department of Veterinary Physiology, CVSc & AH, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha-751003, India.
Jasmine Pamia
Department of Veterinary Pathology, CVSc & AH, OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha-751003, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Several studies conducted in Jharkhand have clearly indicated changes in climatic patterns, with the most prominent conditions being hot and dry weather, scorching temperatures and heat waves. These alterations affect dairy animals directly or indirectly and pose challenges for sustainable dairy husbandry. Therefore, to achieve climate-resilient dairy farming systems, it is of foremost importance to understand dairy farmers’ perceptions to gauge their responses to this changing situation. In this context, the present study was carried out to assess perceptions of climatic variability among 240 dairy farmers from all three agro-climatic regions of Jharkhand. Data were collected through personal interviews using a pre-structured interview schedule.
The results indicated that nearly 55% and 52% of farmers showed a medium level of perception of climate change parameters and the climate change phenomenon, respectively. The majority of farmers perceived an increase in the length of hot periods (82%) and the summer season (71%), erratic rainfall (54%) and extreme annual weather conditions (64%), and a decrease in the length of the rainy season (57%), whereas the majority did not know about changes in annual temperature and annual rainfall. Most farmers strongly agreed that environmental temperature was increasing (52%) and precipitation was decreasing (49%), whereas most agreed that the climate is really changing (67%) and that significant changes in weather patterns are causing a serious problem that needs immediate attention (44%). Farmers’ perception was found to be significantly correlated with age, farming experience, landholding, annual income and SES, and was significantly affected by education and gender at the 1% level of significance. The medium level of perception of climate change in the present study indicates a need for future emphasis on organising camps and training programmes on climate change issues by the state animal husbandry departments, SAUs/SVUs, KVKs and NGOs.
Keywords: Climate change, climatic variability, dairy farmers, farmer perception, climate resilience, dairy farming, agro-climatic regions, heat stress, rainfall variability