Does ICTs-based farm advisory services improve farmers’ adaptation to climate change? Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

In the face of climate uncertainties, farmers need advice on adaptation measures to manage climate risk in an efficient and user-friendly way. This study takes the case of a major cropping zone of Punjab province, Pakistan, which is reported among the climate-susceptible regions, to explore farmers’ preferred ways of agricultural advisory and farmers’ climate change adaptation measures. We also analyze the interrelation between different advisory services (conventional and information and communication technology (ICT)-delivered) and their adaptation behaviours. We use multivariate and ordered probit models to analyze the cross-sectional data collected from four districts of Punjab province, Pakistan. The descriptive results show that farmers have used diverse sources of farm advisory for climate change adaptation, where television and mobile agro-advisory appear to be the most used sources. Farmers have adapted to climate change by planting trees, adopting climate-smart seeds, shuffling crop cultivation schedules, using better water management practices, and diversifying cultivated crops. The empirical results reveal that farmers’ socioeconomic attributes, particularly their farm and livestock herd sizes, access to irrigation water, and advisory access through face-to-face extension, television, and the internet, drive their adaptation choices and intensity. Our findings suggest that policymakers should consider improving these advisory services to expedite the adaptation of vulnerable rural communities.