Alabama Row Crop Producers' Perceptions of Weather and Climate-Based Information and Influence on Decision-Making

Anthropogenic climate change is challenging what producers need to know about the day-to-day role of weather in crop production systems and how long-term shifts in these patterns may influence future management decisions. To assist on-farm decision-making, researchers and cooperative extension teams need to understand producers’ perceptions, as well as the ways in which these perceptions might influence production practices. While the literature on agricultural producer decision-making has grown, there are significant gaps in knowledge about weather and the relationship between weather and the adoption of climate-smart agriculture. We seek to understand the question "What are stakeholders' perceptions about weather and climate and how do they influence on-farm decision-making?”

The Future of Farming is a 6-year transdisciplinary project that began in 2020. The project team collaborates with stakeholders—producers, extension field agents, crop consultants, researchers, and government employees--to understand the barriers to the adoption of climate-smart tools and practices. Data were collected during a series of regional learning network meetings (i.e., field days) that took place between the summers of 2020 and 2023 (n=22 meetings). Individual interviews were also conducted (n=26 interviews). All data were video recorded, transcribed, and loaded to Nvivo for analysis. These data were coded according to three factors: 1) the primary project objectives, 2) the relevant research question for this sub-project, and 3) the data itself. Therefore, the codes included keywords such as weather, climate, flooding, drought, and runoff. Preliminary analysis suggests that producers: 1) tend to obtain weather information via TV, social media, and close contacts; 2) distrust weather information that they obtain; and 3) generally do not use the phrase “climate change.” With respect to the latter, producers will relate long-term agroecological changes to extreme weather events such as increased flooding and increased intensity of hurricanes. These preliminary findings appear to stem from uncertainties about the reliability of weather forecasts, as well as the influence of regional sociopolitical and economic characteristics.