Farmers’ experiences of flooding and engagement with climate change in

Gloucestershire – initial qualitative findings

Alice Hamilton-Webb (PhD)Royal Agricultural University

Supervision: Dr Rhiannon Naylor, Dr Louise Manning and Dr John Conway

Overview

• Context and background

• Approach

• Summary of findings from quantitative survey

• Initial qualitative findings from interviews

• Conclusions

Context

Risk Risk experience + risk response (attitudinal and behavioural)

Climate Change as a case study

Climate change is “a unique risk”• Science is complex•Described as a global problem that affects millions of people•Difficult to directly observe - “psychologically distant”

Existing research suggests that experience of climate change could address this psychological distance

The importance of experience in promoting response to risk

• Importance of experience amongst other factors that influence behaviour is relatively unknown

• More likely to take self-protective action with past experience of risk (to address concern/worry)

• Type/nature of experience important – direct or indirect, loss or no loss, repeated or one off

On-farm response actionsMITIGATION

Reduce methane emissions released by natural livestock emissions and manure

Reduce nitrous oxide emissions released from the production and use of fertiliser

Check livestock are fed optimal diet

Optimising fertiliser efficiency or precision farming techniques

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions released by burning fossil fuels (e.g. fuel in tractors, farm vehicles, machinery etc’)Preserve carbon “sinks” and storage (Soil, vegetation)

Be energy efficient and cut energy costs

Investigate the possibility of entering some land into carbon trading/storage systems

Renewable Energy

ADAPTATIONActions to adapt for droughts/warmer weather

Actions to adapt for extreme events/flooding

Approach

Could experience of climate change promote concern and encourage

action?

Flooding used as a case study - locally significant

event that could be perceived as experience of

climate change

Aim: To explore the relationship between experience of flooding and response to climate change

among farmers in Gloucestershire

•Postal survey with 200 farmers in Gloucestershire

•15 face to face interviews with sub-sample of farmers with most significant experience of flooding to explore impact of experience

2012

2007

2013/14

Flooding used as potential ‘experience’

of climate change

Survey findingsExperience: 64.5% of farmers reported at least one direct experience (most commonly flooded land)

Attitudinal response: Strong belief in existence of climate change but not overly concerned about it (other issues more important)

Behavioural response: 75% respondents undertaking at least one adaptation action (82% mitigation) – however only “part of normal routine”

Climate change and flooding seen as separate, distinct issues

Relationship: Significant association between experience and response (unlikely causal)

Funding not a significant barrier to action – instead lack of concern and information/advice

Interview findings

Dwyer et al. (2007)

Values

Feelings of responsibility Capital

Information

Self-efficacy

Practicality (Farming system)

Maximising profit

Engaged

“Both my wife and I are very environmentally minded and concerned about it. We do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint.” Stud farm owner

Willingness to change

“If we’re serious about it, then we stop flying aeroplanes and we put car tax up to £2000 a year and get most of the cars off the road but nobody is going to do that. There’s not even tax on aviation fuel...” Dairy farmer

Capacity to change

Out-wintering livestock to reduce energy: “You certainly wouldn’t be doing it on this farm which is clayey loam. So it’s just totally impractical really...” Dairy farmer

Conclusions• Unconscious response to climate change – does lack of

climate change engagement matter?

• Local context important – flooding and climate change seen as distinct issues amongst Gloucestershire farmers

• Farmers need to receive information on possible, effective and not too costly response options that resonate with other, more immediate risks and allow maximisation of profit

• Encouraging responsibility amongst farmers is important

Any Questions/Comments/Feedback?

References• AHDB (2011). Greenhouse Gas Action Plan of the Agriculture Inustry in England: Progress report and Phase II DeliveryAvailable from:

http://www.ahdb.org.uk/projects/documents/GHGAPprogressreportApril2012.pdf • Akerlof, K., Maibach, E.W., Fitzgerald, D., Cedeno, A.Y., and Neuman, A. (2013) Do people “personally experience” global warming, and if

so how, and does it matter? Global Environmental Change, 23(1):81-91 • Capstick, S.B., Demski, C.C., Sposato, R.G., Pidgeon, N.F., Spence, A., and Corner, A. (2015) Public perceptions of climate change in Britain

following the Winter 2013/2014 flooding. Understanding Risk Research Group Working Paper 15-01, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK • Dwyer, J., Mills, J., Ingram, J., Taylor, J., Burton, R., Blackstock, K., Slee, B., Brown, K., Schwarz, G., Matthews, K., Dilley, R. (2007)

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