Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions

Climate change poses substantial challenges to agricultural productivity and sustainability, particularly in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Local smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change are crucial for mitigating these impacts. Therefore, this study investigated t...

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Main Authors: Osama Ahmed, Mourad Faiz, Laamari Abdelali, Safwa Khoali, Cataldo Pulvent, Sameh Mohamed, Mame Samba Mbaye, Thomas Glauben
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. 2025-02-01
Series:Regional Sustainability
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X25000039
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author Osama Ahmed
Mourad Faiz
Laamari Abdelali
Safwa Khoali
Cataldo Pulvent
Sameh Mohamed
Mame Samba Mbaye
Thomas Glauben
author_facet Osama Ahmed
Mourad Faiz
Laamari Abdelali
Safwa Khoali
Cataldo Pulvent
Sameh Mohamed
Mame Samba Mbaye
Thomas Glauben
author_sort Osama Ahmed
collection DOAJ
description Climate change poses substantial challenges to agricultural productivity and sustainability, particularly in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Local smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change are crucial for mitigating these impacts. Therefore, this study investigated the socioeconomic factors influencing smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change in four countries (Morocco, Egypt, Italy, and Senegal) of Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions using a binary logistic regression (BLR) model. The results indicated that educational level, farming experience, agricultural income, farm size, participation in agricultural workshops, and training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) significantly impacted smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change (such as smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops). Higher educational level was linked to the greater possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops in Italy and Egypt, while gaps in rural education limited the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops in Morocco and Senegal. Farming experience and agricultural income also enhanced the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops, with notable variations across countries due to systemic barriers such as limited infrastructure in Senegal. Larger farm size and participation in agricultural workshops further improved the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops, particularly in Morocco and Egypt. The findings highlighted the importance of tailored interventions and policy measures to support smallholder farmers in effectively responding to the challenges of climate change under diverse agricultural contexts. By understanding the specific needs and circumstances of smallholder farmers in these countries, policymakers can develop more effective adaptation strategies to enhance agricultural resilience and sustainability under the context of climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-963a16be8ed545b9bb2d4e13feb1c5a52025-08-20T02:54:25ZengKeAi Communications Co. Ltd.Regional Sustainability2666-660X2025-02-016110019510.1016/j.regsus.2025.100195Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regionsOsama Ahmed0Mourad Faiz1Laamari Abdelali2Safwa Khoali3Cataldo Pulvent4Sameh Mohamed5Mame Samba Mbaye6Thomas Glauben7Department of Agricultural Markets, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Halle, 06120, Germany; Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, Egypt; Corresponding author.Cadi Ayad University, Marrakech, 40000, MoroccoNational Institute for Agricultural Research, Settat, 26000, MoroccoUniversity of Hassan II Casablanca, Casablanca, 20000, MoroccoUniversity of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, 70121, ItalyFaculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, 12613, EgyptCheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, 10700, SenegalDepartment of Agricultural Markets, Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Halle, 06120, GermanyClimate change poses substantial challenges to agricultural productivity and sustainability, particularly in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions. Local smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to climate change are crucial for mitigating these impacts. Therefore, this study investigated the socioeconomic factors influencing smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change in four countries (Morocco, Egypt, Italy, and Senegal) of Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions using a binary logistic regression (BLR) model. The results indicated that educational level, farming experience, agricultural income, farm size, participation in agricultural workshops, and training in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) significantly impacted smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change (such as smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops). Higher educational level was linked to the greater possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops in Italy and Egypt, while gaps in rural education limited the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops in Morocco and Senegal. Farming experience and agricultural income also enhanced the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops, with notable variations across countries due to systemic barriers such as limited infrastructure in Senegal. Larger farm size and participation in agricultural workshops further improved the possibility of smallholder farmers adopting drought-tolerant crops, particularly in Morocco and Egypt. The findings highlighted the importance of tailored interventions and policy measures to support smallholder farmers in effectively responding to the challenges of climate change under diverse agricultural contexts. By understanding the specific needs and circumstances of smallholder farmers in these countries, policymakers can develop more effective adaptation strategies to enhance agricultural resilience and sustainability under the context of climate change.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X25000039Climate changeMediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regionsBinary logistic regression (BLR) modelDrought-tolerant cropsClimate-smart agricultural practices
spellingShingle Osama Ahmed
Mourad Faiz
Laamari Abdelali
Safwa Khoali
Cataldo Pulvent
Sameh Mohamed
Mame Samba Mbaye
Thomas Glauben
Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
Regional Sustainability
Climate change
Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
Binary logistic regression (BLR) model
Drought-tolerant crops
Climate-smart agricultural practices
title Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
title_full Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
title_fullStr Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
title_full_unstemmed Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
title_short Unlocking climate change resilience: socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers’ perceptions and adaptation strategies in Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
title_sort unlocking climate change resilience socioeconomic factors shaping smallholder farmers perceptions and adaptation strategies in mediterranean and sub saharan africa regions
topic Climate change
Mediterranean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions
Binary logistic regression (BLR) model
Drought-tolerant crops
Climate-smart agricultural practices
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666660X25000039
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