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A (mis)alignment of farmer experience and perceptions of climate change in the U.S. inland Pacific Northwest

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  • Alexander Maas

    (University of Idaho)

  • Chloe Wardropper

    (University of Idaho)

  • Gabrielle Roesch-McNally

    (American Farmland Trust)

  • John Abatzoglou

    (Management of Complex Systems, University of California)

Abstract

Climate change is expected to have heterogeneous effects on agriculture across the USA, where temperature and precipitation regimes are already changing. While the overall effect of climate change on agriculture is uncertain, farmers’ perceptions of current and future climate and weather conditions will be a key factor in how they adapt. This paper analyzes data from paired surveys (N = 817) and natural variation from baseline weather across the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW), to determine if long-term, gradual changes in precipitation, and temperature distributions affect farmers’ weather perceptions and intentions to adapt. We note that some areas in the iPNW have experienced significant changes in weather, while others have remained relatively constant. However, we find no relationship between changes in temperature and precipitation distributions and individuals’ perceptions and intentions to adapt. Our findings provide evidence that gradual, long-term changes in weather are temporally incongruous with human perception, which can impede support for climate action policy and adaptation strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Maas & Chloe Wardropper & Gabrielle Roesch-McNally & John Abatzoglou, 2020. "A (mis)alignment of farmer experience and perceptions of climate change in the U.S. inland Pacific Northwest," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 1011-1029, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:162:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02713-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02713-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Calciolari & Anastasija Novikova & Lucia Rocchi, 2021. "Climate Change and Lithuania’s Livestock Farms: Awareness and Reactions, an Explorative Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Burton, Kati & Becker, Douglas & Hovardas, Tasos & Wardropper, Chloe B. & Maas, Alexander, 2024. "Assessing policy preferences for preventing and managing wildfire in Greece," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    3. Matthew R. Sloggy & Jordan F. Suter & Mani Rouhi Rad & Dale T. Manning & Chris Goemans, 2021. "Changing opinions on a changing climate: the effects of natural disasters on public perceptions of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 168(3), pages 1-26, October.
    4. R. S. Clements & S. K. Birthisel & A. Daigneault & E. Gallandt & D. Johnson & T. Wentworth & M. T. Niles, 2021. "Climate change in the context of whole-farming systems: opportunities for improved outreach," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Yoder, Landon & Houser, Matthew & Bruce, Analena & Sullivan, Abigail & Farmer, James, 2021. "Are climate risks encouraging cover crop adoption among farmers in the southern Wabash River Basin?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).

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