Conclusion

Abstract

Obviously, adapting agriculture to Climate Change and Variability (CCV) requires that the phenomenon is accepted as a reality which is increasingly the case in many countries and territories. But to understand the adoption of adaptation strategies by farmers it is necessary also to appreciate that farmers have to contend with other multiple stressors which they may consider to be more important to tackle in the short to medium term. Any governments which attempt to develop programs to encourage agricultural adaptation to CCV must recognize this and also understand that different socio-economic systems of agricultural production are frequently associated with different pressures and capacities to adapt to CCV and other stressors. Understanding how farmers react also means that we must understand the importance of integrating local and traditional knowledge concerning economic, social and eco-systemic issues in evaluating adaptation options in particular countries and their agricultural territories. Adaptation to CCV should also be regarded as an innovation diffusion process, meaning that it is critical to understand social networks and the multiple factors that influence the acceptability of different adaptation strategies in different communities and territories.

In this Conclusion, it is strongly suggested that the action research approach is a very constructive approach in helping farmers and other actors increase their capacity to develop appropriate adaptation strategies in their communities and territories. At the same time, this provides an important opportunity to integrate traditional farmer knowledge into the development of appropriate government programs and policies. It is also suggested that appropriate and effective research needs to be interdisciplinary. Finally, it is suggested that developing appropriate and effective adaptation strategies to deal with CCV must also recognize the multiple other functions that agricultural activities and land provide for society since this is also a way of building more general support for maintaining agricultural activities.