Farmers are far less likely than scientists to say climate change is occurring and that people are a driving force in it, says a study by Purdue and Iowa State universities. It says 66 percent of corn growers say they believe climate change is occurring and 8 percent say human activity is the main cause. By comparison, 90 percent of scientists say climate change is occurring and half say humans are the primary reason.
Purdue associate professor Linda Prokopy says “the conversation tends to turn political” when the topic is climate change. “Our research suggests that this disparity in beliefs may cause agricultural stakeholders to respond to climate information very differently,” says Prokopy in a Purdue release. Co-author of the study Lois Morton of ISU said it would be more productive to start from the farmer’s perspective.
“Farmers are problem-solvers,” said Morton, and they are willing to alter their operations to protect their farms. “Initiating conversations about adaptive management is more effective than talking about the causes of climate change.”
The study, which included a survey of 6,795 people in the agricultural secctor, is titled “Agricultural stakeholder views on climate change: Implications for conducting research and outreach.” It was published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and is available here.