Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The warming rates in many mountain areas are higher than the global average, negatively impacting crop systems. Little is known about the climatic changes which are already being observed in eastern Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, due to the lack of long-term meteorological data. Local perception...

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Main Authors: Rodriguez Kakule Amani, Bernard Riera, Gerard Imani, Rodrigue Batumike, Noelia Zafra-Calvo, Aida Cuni-Sanchez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Land
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/628
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author Rodriguez Kakule Amani
Bernard Riera
Gerard Imani
Rodrigue Batumike
Noelia Zafra-Calvo
Aida Cuni-Sanchez
author_facet Rodriguez Kakule Amani
Bernard Riera
Gerard Imani
Rodrigue Batumike
Noelia Zafra-Calvo
Aida Cuni-Sanchez
author_sort Rodriguez Kakule Amani
collection DOAJ
description The warming rates in many mountain areas are higher than the global average, negatively impacting crop systems. Little is known about the climatic changes which are already being observed in eastern Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, due to the lack of long-term meteorological data. Local perceptions could help us to understand not only the climatic changes and impacts but also which adaptation strategies are already being used by local smallholder farmers. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 300 smallholder Bafuliru (<i>n</i> = 150) and Lega (<i>n</i> = 150) farmers living in the Itombwe Mountains. The respondents reported climatic changes and impacts, with the Bafuliru—living on the eastern drier slopes—reporting more changes and impacts. While the Bafuliru were implementing several adaptation strategies (e.g., increased irrigation and use of inputs, more soil conservation, more income diversification), the Lega were implementing very few, due to soft limits (access to inputs, markets, and information) and culture (less interest in farming, less capacity to organize into groups). The results highlight important differences in sociocultural contexts, even for one ‘remote’ mountain, calling for a more collaborative approach to adaptation planning and action.
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spelling doaj.art-08a293f3fa254a87889f4319fb28bf302023-11-23T11:46:30ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2022-04-0111562810.3390/land11050628Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of CongoRodriguez Kakule Amani0Bernard Riera1Gerard Imani2Rodrigue Batumike3Noelia Zafra-Calvo4Aida Cuni-Sanchez5Department of Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands, Ecole Régionale Post-Universitaire d’Aménagement et Gestion Intégrés des Forêts et Territoires Tropicaux (ERAIFT), Kinshasa P.O. Box 15373, Democratic Republic of the CongoCentre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), Laboratoire d’Ecologie Générale, UMR 7179 Mecadev, 4 av du petit Château, 91800 Brunoy, FranceDepartment of Biology, Université Officielle de Bukavu, Bukavu P.O. Box 570, Democratic Republic of the CongoDepartment of Environmental Sciences, Université du Cinquantenaire Lwiro, Kabare, Bukavu P.O. Box 570, Democratic Republic of the CongoBasque Centre for Climate Change bc3, Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, SpainDepartment of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, NorwayThe warming rates in many mountain areas are higher than the global average, negatively impacting crop systems. Little is known about the climatic changes which are already being observed in eastern Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, due to the lack of long-term meteorological data. Local perceptions could help us to understand not only the climatic changes and impacts but also which adaptation strategies are already being used by local smallholder farmers. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to 300 smallholder Bafuliru (<i>n</i> = 150) and Lega (<i>n</i> = 150) farmers living in the Itombwe Mountains. The respondents reported climatic changes and impacts, with the Bafuliru—living on the eastern drier slopes—reporting more changes and impacts. While the Bafuliru were implementing several adaptation strategies (e.g., increased irrigation and use of inputs, more soil conservation, more income diversification), the Lega were implementing very few, due to soft limits (access to inputs, markets, and information) and culture (less interest in farming, less capacity to organize into groups). The results highlight important differences in sociocultural contexts, even for one ‘remote’ mountain, calling for a more collaborative approach to adaptation planning and action.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/628adaptation strategiesethnicityfarmersItombwe Mountainslocal knowledgeperceptions
spellingShingle Rodriguez Kakule Amani
Bernard Riera
Gerard Imani
Rodrigue Batumike
Noelia Zafra-Calvo
Aida Cuni-Sanchez
Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Land
adaptation strategies
ethnicity
farmers
Itombwe Mountains
local knowledge
perceptions
title Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
title_full Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
title_fullStr Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
title_full_unstemmed Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
title_short Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptations among Smallholder Farmers in the Mountains of Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
title_sort climate change perceptions and adaptations among smallholder farmers in the mountains of eastern democratic republic of congo
topic adaptation strategies
ethnicity
farmers
Itombwe Mountains
local knowledge
perceptions
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/628
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