Farmers perspectives on options for and barriers to implementing climate resilient agriculture and implications for climate adaptation policy

The impacts of climate change in low lying coastal areas, such as Bangladesh, are adversely affecting food and livelihood security, requiring adaptation to build resilience. However, effective implementation is limited by a lack of local-level knowledge regarding the barriers that prevent adoption and up-scaling of climate resilient agriculture (CRA). Case studies in coastal Bangladesh provide novel insights regarding barriers to planned and autonomous adaptation from the perspective of farmers facing multiple climate change impacts across seven key dimensions of CRA (agrometeorology services, water management practices, nutrient management activities, technologies and knowledge management activities, infrastructure development, socio-economic resilience, and institutions and good governance). Farmers generally perceive that adaptation actions increase resilience in crop production systems and their surrounding social systems, but also identify the important barriers that inhibit or constrain planned and autonomous adaptation opportunities. Planned adaptation actions are perceived to be limited by institutional arrangements and lack of implementation capacity. Autonomous adaptation was found to be dependent on income level, farm-holding size, access to input resources and services and peer/social influences. Planned and autonomous adaptation actions were both affected by specific social and geographic contexts and cultural factors. Recommendations are suggested to address key constraints and thereby promote CRA in coastal agricultural landscapes in Bangladesh and in other developing countries confronting similar challenges.