Exploring climate change perception and heat stress adaptation among Zambian farmers using participatory tools

More than half of Zambia's population relies on agriculture which is vulnerable to extreme climate change impacts such as heat stress. However, heat stress has been largely overlooked as a health risk factor making small-scale farmers vulnerable. This study aimed to determine the constraints to adaptation and the responses of farmers in Monze and Sioma districts of Zambia to heat stress as a result of climate change. Interviews and group discussions centred around Participatory Rural Appraisal Tools (Calendar and Resource Map) were utilized to collect data from farmers in Monze and Sioma districts from October to November 2020. In general, farmers attributed reduced productivity to poor soils, lack of farming inputs, and climate change (e.g. poor rainfall, influx of pests, increased hot days where temperatures are approximately above 30 degrees C). Though not all farmers were aware of the effects of climate change on human health, they acknowledged that everyone exposed to outdoor working conditions is at risk of developing heat stress. Interview results show that farmers were affected by heat when at work (n = 91) and some farmers (n = 58) even observed or experienced symptoms of heat stress and heat-related illnesses such as headache, dizziness, dehydration, and tiredness. In these communities, the main constraints to adaptation were lack of information, water scarcity, deforestation, lack of farming incentives, and social influences. Traditional practices enhanced adaptation responses despite the need to raise heat stress awareness.