**4.1 Awareness campaign**

The Punjab government has launched an awareness campaign about climate change and agriculture. They have set up a radio station, which gives information to farmers about weather conditions. The station broadcasts multiple programs to increase farmers'

**75**

*Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Agricultural Sector: The Case of Local Responses…*

1 Awareness campaigns To educate farmers, control damages, improve productivity, linkage

To expedite implementation, enhance understanding of farmers, to

establishment of climate policies with sound scientific backing

To expedite implementation mechanism, comprehend the situation

prepare the farmer's community for climate change

challenge of lack of professionalism

with NGOs

3 Research and innovation Understanding of climate change dynamics, to produce novel techniques 4 Institutional capacity Effective implementation of climate policies, to address the

5 Role of academics Better research environment, promote climate research,

well in time

awareness about climate change, its impacts on agriculture sectors and possible strategies to confront the challenge. The impact of this radio station has been positively observed in the province. For example, many farmers are regularly tuning into the radio for information about weather conditions, planning dates, and to know how they will be affected due to climate change. Some of interviewees told us that they are regular listeners of the radio because they get valuable information, such as, climatic conditions, advice about fertilizer use and seeds, and government subsidy schemes for the farmer community. In some programs, climate experts and agro experts among others are invited to discuss climate change, its impacts on agriculture sector and possible solutions. One farmer told us that he regularly follows such programs on Radio because it is helpful to get novel ideas

7 Autonomous adaptation Past experiences, knowledge sharing, avoid damages and enhance productivity

The government has set up a formal mechanism to give practical training to the farmers. They arrange sessions with the farmers to teach them based on scientific data how climate change is threatening agriculture sector. Agriculture extension departments which work closely with the farmers at local levels collect data from the fields and gives training to the farmers at local levels. Based on these initiatives, the farmers are able to execute what they learned in their farming practices. For instance, they are advised that they should plant seeds which have been tested in scientific labs and shown to have the capabilities to survive severe weather conditions. It is noted that many trained farmers approached the agriculture extension departments to obtain suitable seeds with respect to weather conditions. We were told by the agriculture extension department in Faisalabad that after attending the training, the farmers' community is encouraged to approach the department for more information about

The provision of financial help to farmers can be helpful when they are facing financial constraints. On the part of the government, it is providing certain subsidies to the farming community. For example, it provides the farmers with the best seeds and best quality fertilizers keeping in view the exposure of fields to climate change at nominal prices. The farmers' community is also contributing by handling

climate change, suitable seeds, solutions for damages due to pests, etc.

climate change through their adaptation practices.

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83553*

2 Training programs for farmers

6 Departmental

**Table 1.**

coordination

*Source: The table is created by the authors.*

**Numbers Adaptation initiatives Drivers behind the initiatives**

and best practices from agricultural experts.

**4.2 Training programs for farmers**

**Figure 1.** *Map of Pakistan indicating study area.*

*Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation in Agricultural Sector: The Case of Local Responses… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.83553*


#### **Table 1.**

*Climate Change and Agriculture*

these initiatives in Punjab.

**4.1 Awareness campaign**

relevant stakeholders. These stakeholders include policy experts, government officials, think tanks working in the area, related nongovernmental organizations, academics, ministry of climate change, provincial environmental protection agency, farmer com-

Punjab is geographically located approximately at 30,000 N, 70,000 E in the semi-arid lowlands zone [61]. It is the most populous and second largest province of Pakistan. Punjab is a fertile agricultural region which holds an extensive irrigation network and plays a leading role in the development of the economy [62]. The province accounts for 56.2% of the total cultivated area, 53% of the total agricultural gross domestic product and 74% of the total cereal production in the country [63, 64]. Punjab mainly contributes for agricultural sector in the percentage of land (57.2%) in agricultural sector and the percentage share (53%) of Pakistan's agricultural gross domestic product [65]. Agriculture sector in Punjab is facing the impacts of climate change. Below is the map of Pakistan, highlighting light green portion as

During the last decade or so, climate change adaptation gained a space on policy agenda. Subnational governments, being closer to the locale of climatic impacts, play a key role in the effective implementation of climate change policies. In the case of Pakistan, the implementation of climate change and other related policies rests with subnational governments. In this section, we analyze the adaptation strategies in Punjab Province. **Table 1** shows the adaptation initiatives and drivers behind

The Punjab government has launched an awareness campaign about climate change and agriculture. They have set up a radio station, which gives information to farmers about weather conditions. The station broadcasts multiple programs to increase farmers'

munity, civil society, and climate change activists in the province of Punjab.

our case of study that is Punjab province (**Figure 1**).

**74**

**Figure 1.**

*Map of Pakistan indicating study area.*

*Source: The table is created by the authors.*

awareness about climate change, its impacts on agriculture sectors and possible strategies to confront the challenge. The impact of this radio station has been positively observed in the province. For example, many farmers are regularly tuning into the radio for information about weather conditions, planning dates, and to know how they will be affected due to climate change. Some of interviewees told us that they are regular listeners of the radio because they get valuable information, such as, climatic conditions, advice about fertilizer use and seeds, and government subsidy schemes for the farmer community. In some programs, climate experts and agro experts among others are invited to discuss climate change, its impacts on agriculture sector and possible solutions. One farmer told us that he regularly follows such programs on Radio because it is helpful to get novel ideas and best practices from agricultural experts.

#### **4.2 Training programs for farmers**

The government has set up a formal mechanism to give practical training to the farmers. They arrange sessions with the farmers to teach them based on scientific data how climate change is threatening agriculture sector. Agriculture extension departments which work closely with the farmers at local levels collect data from the fields and gives training to the farmers at local levels. Based on these initiatives, the farmers are able to execute what they learned in their farming practices. For instance, they are advised that they should plant seeds which have been tested in scientific labs and shown to have the capabilities to survive severe weather conditions. It is noted that many trained farmers approached the agriculture extension departments to obtain suitable seeds with respect to weather conditions. We were told by the agriculture extension department in Faisalabad that after attending the training, the farmers' community is encouraged to approach the department for more information about climate change, suitable seeds, solutions for damages due to pests, etc.

The provision of financial help to farmers can be helpful when they are facing financial constraints. On the part of the government, it is providing certain subsidies to the farming community. For example, it provides the farmers with the best seeds and best quality fertilizers keeping in view the exposure of fields to climate change at nominal prices. The farmers' community is also contributing by handling climate change through their adaptation practices.
