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2. How good are past predictions of global warming?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Wigley, Tom M.L. (author / University of Adelaide, South Australia)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2020
- Published:
- International
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 163 Document Number: D11643
- Journal Title:
- Skeptical Inquirer
- Journal Title Details:
- 44(2)
- Notes:
- 8 pages., Online issue., "Critics of climate science claim that climate models lack predictive skill. In fact, some of the earliest predictions made thirty years ago have performed remarkably well." ... "the bad news is that in terms of action, we are still only scratching the surface of responses needed...to prevent 'dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.' The real challenges lie ahead."
3. How should journalists cover climate?
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Consky, Mitchell (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- Canada
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 136 Document Number: D11426
- Journal Title:
- Ryerson Review of Journalism
- Notes:
- 6 pages., Online via periodical website. Published on November 9, 2019., Author described reactions of journalists who were covering climate strikes that occurred throughout Canada on September 27, 2019. Respondents were invited to share perspectives about their role in covering this complex topic.
4. Impact of climate change on sustainable pastoral livelihoods in Loima Sub-County, Turkana County, Kenya
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Imana, C.A. (author) and Zenda, M. (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2023-05-06
- Published:
- South Africa: African Journals Online
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12927
- Journal Title:
- South African Journal of Agricultural Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol. 51, N.1
- Notes:
- 21 pages, Climate change and variability have adversely affected communities’ pastoral livelihoods in Kenya. The study aimed to investigate sustaining pastoral livelihoods in a changing climate in Loima Sub-County, Turkana County, Kenya. A total of 59 pastoralists were interviewed using a questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software Version 22. SPSS employed descriptive statistical techniques like frequencies, percentages, cross-tabulations and proportions, means, and standard deviation. Pie charts, graphs, figures, and tables were used to present the data analysis output. Climate has been observed to vary continuously by pastoralists. Climate hazards mostly reported were livestock diseases and the frequency of droughts. The findings also indicated that livestock keepers preferred to graze their livestock on mountains/hills. Pasture and water availability and security determine the pattern of livestock movement. Pastoralists adopted various strategies to cope with climatic changes. Some of these strategies included diverse utilisation of livestock products, controlled grazing, herd diversification, and labour distribution among household members. In conclusion, climatic change and variability effects on the livelihoods of the pastoralists are evident. However, they have diversified ways of adapting and coping with these catastrophes to sustain themselves. To avert the effects of climate change, Turkana agriculture extension officers should focus on value addition to livestock products, provision of livestock insurance schemes, veterinary services, and livestock disease surveillance. Furthermore, agriculture extension needs to develop and enforce livestock policies and develop appropriate contingency plans. Among the policies recommended are- the management of grazing areas, regulations on migratory routes, and rules governing the use of water sources.
5. Nepalese farmers’ climate change perceptions, reality and farming strategies
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Budhathoki, Nanda Kaji (author) and Zander, Kerstin K. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- Taylor & Francis
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 75 Document Number: D10803
- Journal Title:
- Climate and Development
- Notes:
- 13 pages., via online journal., The study explores the impacts of Nepali farmers’ climate change perceptions on their farming practices over the last three decades (1980–2014). Results from a survey with 496 farmers show that nearly all farmers attributed changes in crop varieties and cropping patterns mainly to technological and market-related factors and not to climate change. A comparison between perceptions and meteorological data shows that while perceptions of changes in maximum temperatures did match observed trends, perceptions of changes in minimum temperature and rainfall did not. The results indicate that the climate change message in the past 30 years has not been definite enough to have a consistent impact on either farmers’ perceptions or their farming practices. This may impede farmers’ adaptive capacity in dealing with increasingly severe future climate change impacts. Because of large variations in the micro-climate of the study locations and the locations of the weather stations from which we obtained the meteorological data, the results need to be treated with caution. However, we suggest that for farmers to effectively adapt to climate change, it may be necessary for responsible state and non-state actors to improve their communication on expected climate change impacts.
6. Ready, willing, and able? USDA field staff as climate advisors
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Wiener, S. (author), Roesch-McNally, G.E. (author), Schattman, R.E. (author), and Niles, M.T. (author)
- Format:
- Research
- Publication Date:
- 2020-01-01
- Published:
- USA: Soil and Water Conservation Society
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 202 Document Number: D12061
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
- Journal Title Details:
- Vol 75, Issue 1
- Notes:
- 13 pages, via Online journal, Natural resource advisors operate at a natural resource-climate nexus that presents opportunity for utilization of regionally relevant climate science and tools to support climate smart decision making among land managers. This opportunity, however, may be underutilized. In thousands of county offices across the country, USDA field staff with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) interface with farmers on a daily basis to provide conservation technical assistance, farm loans, and disaster recovery assistance. In this study, we conducted a survey of NRCS field staff (n = 1,893) and a similar survey of FSA field staff (n = 4,621) to determine the following: (1) how concerned USDA field staff are with both general and specific climate and weather threats and their effect on agriculture and forestry, (2) what available climate and weather resources staff are currently using, (3) how these factors relate to USDA field staff's confidence and interest in playing the role of climate advisor, and (4) the differences that exist between NRCS and FSA field staff related to these research questions. We found that many USDA field staff are concerned about climate change in general and about several specific impacts, but fewer are confident in their ability to support land managers in addressing these impacts. Additionally, increased concern about climate threats was related to higher levels of climate and weather resource use and an increased desire to play the role of climate advisor, but was also related to lower levels of self-reported ability to play that role. These findings can be used to inform appropriate application of professional development opportunities and creation of tools and resources to improve professional uses of weather and climate information.
7. Seeing is not always believing: crop loss and climate change perceptions among farm advisors
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Niles, Meredith T. (author), Wiener, Sarah (author), Schattman, Rachel E. (author), Roesch-McNally, Gabrielle (author), and Reyes, Julian (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-03-26
- Published:
- USA: IOP Publishing Ltd.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 12 Document Number: D10345
- Journal Title:
- Environmental Research Letters
- Journal Title Details:
- 14(4)
- Notes:
- 11 pages., Via online journal article., As climate change is expected to significantly affect agricultural systems globally, agricultural farm advisors have been increasingly recognized as an important resource in helping farmers address these challenges. While there have been many studies exploring the climate change belief and risk perceptions as well as behaviors of both farmers and agricultural farm advisors, there are very few studies that have explored how these perceptions relate to actual climate impacts in agriculture. Here we couple survey data from United States Department of Agriculture farm service employees (n = 6, 514) with historical crop loss data across the United States to explore the relationship of actual climate-related crop losses on farm to farm advisor perceptions of climate change and future farmer needs. Using structural equation modelling we find that among farm advisors that work directly with farms on disaster and crop loss issues, there is a significant positive relationship between crop loss and perceived weather variability changes, while across all farm advisors crop loss is associated with reduced likelihood to believe in anthropogenic climate change. Further, we find that weather variability perceptions are the most consistently and highly correlated with farm advisors' perceptions about the need for farm adaptation and future farmer needs. These results suggest that seeing crop loss may not lead to climate change belief, but may drive weather variability perceptions, which in turn affect farm adaptation perceptions. This lends further evidence to the debate over terminology in climate change communication and outreach, suggesting that weather variability may be the most salient among agricultural advisors.
8. Using farmer storytelling to build understanding of our "new weather reality"
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Roche, Erin H. (author), Mallory, Ellen B. (author), and Birthisel, Sonja K. (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-10
- Published:
- Extension Journal, Inc.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 109 Document Number: D10990
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Extension
- Journal Title Details:
- 57(5)
- Notes:
- 5 pages., Article # 5IAW3, via online journal., A storytelling session was successful in raising awareness and understanding of the types of changes in weather patterns farmers are experiencing in Maine, what impacts those changes are having on their operations, and the changes farmers are making in response. Using an outreach approach rooted in farmer stories allowed us to bypass the controversy that often surrounds topics related to climate change. Likewise, focusing on the farmers' experiences and avoiding corrective statements during this introductory session resulted in productive dialogue. We recommend replicating this approach within different agricultural sectors to increase understanding of sector-specific risks and strategies for adaptation.
9. ‘I’m gonna lose everything’ A farm family struggles to recover after rising debt pushes a husband to suicide
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Gowen, Annie (author) and The Washington Post
- Format:
- Online article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-11-09
- Published:
- United States: The Washington Post
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 130 Document Number: D11278
- Notes:
- 25 pages., via website