Rice farming resilience to climate variability: Impacts of adaptation strategies on food security and farm income in Thailand and Myanmar

Information from the abstract

With the increasing intensity of climate-induced threats, there is an urgent need for policy-level action to implement effective and timely adaptation strategies that sustain rural livelihoods and ensure food security. This study examines the adaptation of rice farm households to climate change, its determinants and economic impacts on food security and farm income in Thailand and Myanmar. Using cross-sectional data from 365 rice-farming households in Lat Lum Kaeo District (Thailand) and Meiktila Township (Myanmar), the study employs logistic regression analysis to understand the adaptation determinants and a propensity score matching (PSM) method to evaluate the welfare impacts of adaptation on food security and net farm income. The results suggest that rice farmers were aware of climate change. Major climate adaptation strategies (CASs) include crop rotation, using high-yielding varieties, adjusting cropping calendars and changes in planting methods. Key determinants jointly influencing their adaptation decisions included access to education, farming experience, climate information, credit, and investments in road infrastructure. The findings from PSM method indicates that using CASs significantly improves food security and increases net farm income. Greater benefits were realized by farmers who adopted a combination of adaptation strategies. These results suggest that promoting context-specific adaptation strategies that integrate formal technologies with farmer-led practices while also improving farmers' education, access to climate information and credit, and rural infrastructure can simultaneously enhance local food security and agricultural income and build climate resilience in rice-based farming systems.

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Related topics: Climate change impacts on agriculture · Agricultural risk and resilience · Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement