Climate Change Adaptation: toward a transformative shift of farmer’s practices? A case study in southern France
Résumé
Farmers are more than other actors directly faced to climate change effects, more visible and effective in this sector. This paper explores a sociological analysis on the link between farmer’s social perceptions of climate change and the effects on their behaviours, agricultural and technical choices. Our analysis is based upon first results of a qualitative research founded on semi-directed interviews conducted with farmers. The farmer sample for the case study was constructed to ensure that the general characteristics of regional agriculture are represented. Case study farms are categorized according to the type of production: vegetables, fruit trees, wine, livestock.
We try to understand how farmers take decisions when they adapt to changing conditions. Are they affected by the scientific knowledge? Are they utilizing or creating networks contacts? Are they researching information by professional technicians ? Are they mobilized by financial support? Are they affecting by the social pressure? Or, and that is our main hypothesis, are they trust in their inner guidance and perception of climate change to act: less component crops yield, high severity drought and flooding more frequently. Besides the analysis of the farmers perceptions, we will take account of their practices to show that they can adapt in different ways: water savings by drip or spray irrigation systems, by testing different heat resistant crop types (for the vine for example), by changing cultivation techniques. These changes could lead to an unintended consequence: more ecological practices.