Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2025)

Unveiling key adaptation strategies: A systematic review of climate variability’s impact on agriculture

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.6107
Submitted
24 October 2024
Published
25-01-2025 — Updated on 28-01-2025
Versions

Abstract

This review aims to comprehensively analyze the variability of climate in agriculture and the
adaptive behaviour of farmers in response to climate change, synthesizing existing knowledge and
examining measures for mitigate climate fluctuations. To achieve this, a systematic literature
review (SLR) was conducted using the Scopus database, covering the past eleven years. A total of
177 articles were identified through a methodological application of the Preferred Reporting Items
for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) framework. While these studies encompass a
broad geographical scope, the selection was deliberately constrained by a small sample size to
exclude regions lacking conflicting evidence, ensuring relevance and high-quality information, a
standard practice in systematic reviews within this field. This study hypothesizes that adaptive
strategies, such as climate-smart agriculture and early warning systems, significantly reduce
farmers’ vulnerability under climate change. Key findings indicates that practices like conservation
tillage, agroforestry, and other climate-resilient approaches enhances agricultural sustainability and
resilience. The results highlight the urgent need for further investigation and policy incentives to
encourage adaptive behaviour and provide food security in the presence of climatic variability.
Thus, the conclusion of these findings encourages the widespread uptake of climate-smart practices
coupled with early warning mechanisms to reduce climatic risks effectively.

References

  1. Patel RS, Zala PH, Patel AA. Weather forecasting, climate variability and change. Agronomy. 2023:69.
  2. Usmail AJ, Maja MM, Lakew AA. Farmers’ perceptions of climate variability and adaptation strategies in the rural areas of Dire Dawa administration, eastern Ethiopia. Heliyon. 2023;9(5).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15868
  3. Kumar S, Lim WM, Sivarajah U, Kaur J. Artificial intelligence and blockchain integration in business: trends from a bibliometric-content analysis. Information Systems Frontiers. 2023;25(2):871–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-022-10279-0
  4. Gerling C, Drechsler M, Keuler K, Leins JA, Radtke K, Schulz B, et al. Climate–ecological–economic modelling for the cost-effective spatiotemporal allocation of conservation measures in cultural landscapes facing climate change. Q Open. 2022;2(1):qoac004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/qopen/qoac004
  5. Habib-ur-Rahman M, Ahmad A, Raza A, Hasnain MU, Alharby HF, Alzahrani YM, et al. Impact of climate change on agricultural production; Issues, challenges and opportunities in Asia. Frontiers in Plant Science. 2022;13:925548. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.925548
  6. Lai CH, Liao PC, Chen SH, Wang YC, Cheng C, Wu CF. Risk perception and adaptation of climate change: An assessment of community resilience in rural Taiwan. Sustainability. 2021;13(7):3651. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13073651
  7. Mobeen M, Kabir KH, Schneider UA, Ahmed T, Scheffran J. Sustainable livelihood capital and climate change adaptation in Pakistan's agriculture: Structural equation modeling analysis in the VIABLE framework. Heliyon. 2023;9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20818
  8. Mustafa G, Alotaibi BA, Nayak RK. Linking climate change awareness, climate change perceptions and subsequent adaptation options among farmers. Agronomy. 2023;13(3):758.http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13030758
  9. Feng Q, Zhao W, Fu B, Ding J, Wang S. Ecosystem service trade-offs and their influencing factors: A case study in the Loess Plateau of China. Science of the Total Environment. 2017;607:1250–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.079
  10. Lane D, Murdock E, Genskow K, Rumery Betz C, Chatrchyan A. Climate change and dairy in New York and Wisconsin: Risk perceptions, vulnerability and adaptation among farmers and advisors. Sustainability. 2019;11(13):3599.https://doi.org/10.3390/su11133599
  11. Alvi S, Khayyam U. Mitigating and adapting to climate change: attitudinal and behavioral challenges in South Asia. Int J Climate Change Strat Manage. 2020;12(4):477–93.https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-08-2019-0054
  12. Menike L, Arachchi KK. Adaptation to climate change by smallholder farmers in rural communities: Evidence from Sri Lanka. Procedia Food Science. 2016;6:288–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2016.02.057
  13. Pham Y, Reardon-Smith K, Mushtaq S, Cockfield G. The impact of climate change and variability on coffee production: a systematic review. Climatic Change. 2019;156:609–30.
  14. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-019-02538-y
  15. Shaffril HAM, Krauss SE, Samsuddin SF. A systematic review on Asian farmers' adaptation practices towards climate change. Science of the Total Environment. 2018;644:683–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.349
  16. Wu Y, Meng S, Liu C, Gao W, Liang XZ. A bibliometric analysis of research for climate impact on agriculture. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. 2023;7:1191305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1191305
  17. Van Eck N, Waltman L. Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics. 2010;84(2):523–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3
  18. Maroušek J, Itoh S, Higa O, Kondo Y, Ueno M, Suwa R, et al. The use of underwater high-voltage discharges to improve the efficiency of Jatropha curcas L. biodiesel production. Biotechnol Appli Biochem. 2012 Nov;59(6):451–56. 10.1002/bab.1045
  19. Kuehne G. How do farmers’ climate change beliefs affect adaptation to climate change?. Society and Natural Resources. 2014;27(5):492–506. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2013.861565
  20. Rautela P, Karki B. Impact of climate change on life and livelihood of indigenous people of higher Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. Amer J Environ Protect. 2015;3(4):112–24. https://doi.org/10.12691/ENV-3-4-2
  21. Mamba SF. Factors influencing the perception of climate variability and change among smallholder farmers in Swaziland. Indian Journal of Nutrition. 2016;3(2):138–42.
  22. Makate C, Makate M, Mango N. Smallholder farmers’ perceptions on climate change and the use of sustainable agricultural practices in the Chinyanja Triangle, Southern Africa. Social Sciences. 2017;6(1):30. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6010030
  23. Vasanthi C, Sahana S, Sudheendra M. Socio-economic factors influencing the adoption of coping mechanism to climate change by the farmers. Asian J Agri Ext Eco Soc. 2018;27(1):1–11.
  24. http://dx.doi.org/10.9734/AJAEES/2018/39896
  25. Bagagnan AR, Ouedraogo I, Fonta WM. Perceived climate variability and farm level adaptation in the central river region of the Gambia. Atmosphere. 2019;10(7):423.https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10070423
  26. Kamau MW, Ndung’u CK, Felista WN. Factors influencing farmers’ adaptations to climate variability and extreme events in dry Kitui, Kenya. Int J Environ Sci Nat Res. 2020;24(1):1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.19080/IJESNR.2020.23.556126
  27. Engler A, Rotman ML, Poortvliet PM. Farmers’ perceived vulnerability and proactive versus reactive climate change adaptation in Chile’s Maule region. Sustainability. 2021;13(17):9907. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179907
  28. Paramesh V, Kumar P, Shamim M, Ravisankar N, Arunachalam V, Nath AJ, et al. Integrated farming systems as an adaptation strategy to climate change: Case studies from diverse agro-climatic zones of India. Sustainability. 2022;14(18):11629. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811629
  29. Madaki MY, Muench S, Kaechele H, Bavorova M. Climate change knowledge and perception among farming households in Nigeria. Climate. 2023;11(6):115.https://doi.org/10.3390/cli11060115

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.