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MT 21 January 2018

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16 News LOCAL farmers need to be given easier access to information of cli- mate change if they are to adapt to its effects in time, a situation made all the more urgent since evidence shows that the older generation of farmers tends to be dismissive of climate change as a whole. This emerges from a study pub- lished in The European Journal of Agronomy which looked at how Gozitan farmers in particular per- ceived the threat of climate change to their practice. What emerges most strikingly in the study – conducted over De- cember 2013 and February 2014 and penned by Charles Galdies, A. Said, L. Camilleri and M. Caruana, all from the University of Malta – is that Gozitan farmers are strictly stratified on the issue, with the writ- ers even managing to divide them up into distinct 'categories' based on how they responded to their sur- vey. Basing their research on a sam- ple of 172 interviews – with 111 being conducted with crop- and fruit-cultivating farmers and 61 with livestock farmers – the group of academics came up with a clear distinguishing mechanism for local farmers which reveals their attitude to climate change. The typology of Gozitan farming The authors pinpointed four 'types' of crop- and fruit-cultivating farmers and three types of livestock farmers that predominated in their survey (SEE BOX). The former cat- egory is made up of 'The Innovator', primarily made up of the younger cohort of farmer (who sees climate change as an active threat and seeks innovative solutions with which to tackle it), who is counterpointed by 'The Conservative' who, while not a climate change denier, believes that traditional methods are best placed to allay any adverse effects emerg- ing from climate change. On the flip side of that coin are 'The Disen- gaged', who have no set opinion on the issue and are reluctant to make any changes, and 'The Sceptical', who take an entirely passive stance. Among the livestock farmers, one also finds 'The Innovator' – who ultimately believed that the "do nothing" approach could also be damaging to profits – as well as the maltatoday SUNDAY 21 JANUARY 2018 Farming in a changing climate Types of crop- and fruit-cultivating farmers: 'THE INNOVATOR' (16.2%) These farmers showed an ac- tive approach towards climate change and tend to be innovative. They are willing to implement new production and new crop varieties to their farming prac- tices to adapt and maximise their profits. These farmers perceive a high risk on their farming due to climate change. This typology was characterised by the younger age group category. 'THE CONSERVATIVE' (37%) These expressed an active ap- proach and are willing to adapt to climate change; however, they prefer to adapt by utilizing their current resources due to finan- cial limitations. These farmers think that new measures would not be feasible since they only practise subsistence farming. This group consists mainly of the older generation of Gozitan farmers who demonstrate a con- servative farming approach. 'THE DISENGAGED' (21.6%) These expressed a passive ap- proach towards climate change and showed no strong opinion on the issue. 'THE SCEPTICAL' (25.2%) These farmers thought that climatic fluctuations were not of anthropogenic origin and were thus not aware of potential risks due to a changing climate. They showed scepticism about climate change impacts and related risks and expressed a passive approach about the oc- currence of a changing climate, hence they are not willing to adapt to climate change. Types of livestock farmers: 'THE INNOVATOR' (75.4%) These had an active approach and were greatly willing to adapt to new adaptation measures. They perceived that the risks of not doing anything would ulti- mately translate in the loss of their practices and related prof- its. THE 'PROFIT-ORIENTED/ ENTREPRENEURS' (13.1%) These had a passive approach, but are willing to use new and effective methods only if profit- able. This category expressed a low level of awareness or concern about the risks of a changing cli- mate. 'THE DISENGAGED' (11.5%) These expressed a passive ap- proach and did not have an opin- ion on this issue, unaware of a changing climate. They stated that climatic fluctuations are part of a natural cycle and are not of anthropogenic origin. Source: 'Climate change trends in Malta and related beliefs, con- cerns and attitudes toward adap- tation among Gozitan farmers' (C. Galdies, A. Said, L. Camilleri and M. Caruana – European Journal of Agronomy) The typology of Gozitan farmers A study of Gozitan farming trends finds that urgent work needs to be done to ensure local farmers are ready to face the challenges posed by climate change. But a generational divide may be the key to it all, TEODOR RELJIC discovers

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