Correlation Study on Farmer Characteristics and Perception towards Climate Change among Soybean Growers of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Climate change poses an important challenge to agricultural sustainability, especially in rainfed regions where crop production depends strongly on rainfall and temperature conditions. This study examined the relationship between selected characteristics of soybean growers and their perception towards climate change in Akola district of Maharashtra, India. An ex-post facto research design was adopted. Akola district was purposively selected, and Akola and Barshitakli tahsils were selected based on the area under soybean cultivation. From these tahsils, ten villages were selected, and 150 soybean growers who had cultivated soybean for the previous five years were included as respondents. Data were collected through personal interviews using a pre-tested and structured interview schedule. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for analysis. The findings indicated that education, annual income, mass media exposure, access to weather forecasts, scientific orientation, and decision-making ability had positive and highly significant relationships with farmers’ perception towards climate change. Age, farming experience in soybean cultivation, area under soybean cultivation, extension contact, and risk orientation had positive and significant relationships with perception. Family size and landholding showed non-significant relationships with perception. The results suggest that socio-economic, communication, and psychological characteristics are associated with how soybean growers understand climate-related changes. Strengthening extension contact, weather information access, mass media exposure, and scientific orientation may improve awareness and preparedness for climate-related challenges in soybean cultivation.