title: Climate Change Perceptions of NY State Farmers: The Role of Risk Perceptions and Adaptive Capacity.
abstract: Climate change is expected to severely impact agricultural practices in many important food-producing regions, including the Northeast United States. Changing climate conditions, such as increases in the amount of rainfall, will require farmers to adapt. Yet, little is known with regard to farmers' perceptions and understandings about climate change, especially in the industrialized country context. This paper aims at overcoming this research limitation, as well as determining the existing contextual, cognitive, and psychological barriers that can prevent adoption of sustainable practices of farmers in New York State. The study is framed within the adaptive capacity and risk perception literature, and is based on a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with farmers in 21 farms in two counties in Central New York. The results reveal diverging views about the long-term consequences of climate change. Results also reveal that past experience remains as the most important source of information that influences beliefs and perceptions about climate change, confirming previous research.
authors.affiliation: School of Journalism and Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 348 CAS Bldg. MSU Campus, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. btakahas@msu.edu.|Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA. btakahas@msu.edu.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Studies, SUNY-ESF, 109 Marshall Hall, 1 Forestry Dr., Syracuse, NY, 13210-2787, USA.
authors.forename: Morey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Burnham
authors.affiliation: Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.|School of Journalism, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Terracina-Hartman
authors.affiliation: Central NY Regional Planning and Development Board, 100 Clinton Square, Suite 200, 126 North Salina St., Syracuse, NY, 13202, USA.
authors.forename: Amanda R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Sopchak
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Studies, SUNY-ESF, 219 Marshall Hall, 1 Forestry Dr., Syracuse, NY, 13210-2787, USA.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Selfa
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration*; D057231:Climate Change; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D019049:Developed Countries; D000067565:Farmers / Q000523:psychology; D000072480:Farms / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D010465:Perception
keywords: Adaptation; Adaptive capacity; Climate change; Farmers; New York; Risk perceptions