University of Southern Queensland Researcher Describes Advances in Climate Change (Understanding Constraints and Enablers of Climate Risk Management Strategies: Evidence from Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Regional South India): Climate Change

2024 MAR 20 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on climate change have been published. According to news reporting out of Toowoomba, Australia, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The adoption of effective coping strategies is crucial for successful adaptation to the impacts of climate change in the dairy sector. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the perceived constraints and motivations toward such strategies.”

Funders for this research include University of Southern Queensland’s International Fees Research Scholarship; Australian Government Department of Industry, Science And Resources Through The Australia-india Strategic Research Fund.

The news editors obtained a quote from the research from University of Southern Queensland: “A survey was conducted among 104 dairy farmers from three semi-arid regions of South India. The aim of the survey was to explore the dairy farmers’ perception of climate risk, how it impacts their dairy farming system, the coping strategies they employ, and the barriers they face when implementing these strategies. The survey also investigated the factors that facilitate the adoption of adaptation measures. The results indicate dairy farmers in the region perceive drought, pests and diseases, and high temperatures as the major risks associated with climate change, which has resulted in decreased dairy income, animal health problems, reduced fertility, and food intake problems for their cattle. In response to climate variability, dairy farmers have adopted various coping strategies. The most important strategies include buying livestock insurance, keeping low debt obligations, and growing drought-tolerant grass varieties. However, most farmers face significant constraints in adopting these and other strategies including a lack of climate forecast data, the high cost of adaptation activities, and weak institutional support.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “On the other hand, the key enabling factors that support the adoption of these strategies include milk production security, suitable feed growing conditions, and family interest. Most importantly, the study found that certain factors such as age, education, number of earning family members, annual milk production, monthly cattle expenses, and landholdings significantly influenced dairy farmers’ strategies for adapting to climate change. The study recommends that providing timely climate forecasts, implementing improved policies such as vaccination and cattle health services, and establishing strong institutional support systems can help dairy farmers become more resilient to climate change and protect their livelihoods.”

For more information on this research see: Understanding Constraints and Enablers of Climate Risk Management Strategies: Evidence from Smallholder Dairy Farmers in Regional South India. Sustainability, 2024,16(5). (Sustainability - http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability). The publisher for Sustainability is MDPI AG.

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/su16052018.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Anupama Shantharaju, Centre for Applied Climate Sciences, Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD 4350, Australia. Additional authors for this research include Md Aminul Islam, Jarrod M. Kath, Shahbaz Mushtaq, Arun Muniyappa, Lila Singh-Peterson.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the author of this research: Arun Muniyappa (http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3575-2937).

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