Assessment of Farmers’ Awareness about Climate Change in Bundelkhand Region of Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Assessing climate change awareness among farmers is a crucial prerequisite for building agricultural resilience in drought-prone regions such as Bundelkhand, Madhya Pradesh. This study aimed to empirically evaluate the level of climate change awareness among farmers in the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and to analyse the underlying determinants shaping their environmental perceptions. An ex-post facto research design with a multi-stage sampling procedure was employed. A total of 253 farmers who had implemented different climate-resilient strategies were selected from four villages across two districts: 55 farmers from Singrawan Kala and 63 from Pannpura in Nawgong block of Chhatarpur district, and 65 from Kanti and 70 from Nanni Tehri in Tikamgarh block of Tikamgarh district. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Karl Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Distribution analysis revealed that the majority of respondents (55.35%) exhibited medium awareness, followed by low (25.29%) and high (19.36%) awareness levels (mean = 18.71 ± 3.02). Karl Pearson's correlation analysis showed highly significant positive associations for knowledge about climate-resilient interventions (r = 0.2104), extension agency contact (r = 0.1985), and education level (r = 0.1824). Training received (r = 0.1412), innovativeness (r = 0.1384), risk-taking ability (r = 0.1352), economic motivation (r = 0.1325), and social participation (r = 0.1298) showed statistically significant positive associations. Age, farm size, and annual income were not statistically significant. These findings indicate that institutional exposure, capacity building, and technical knowledge are more closely associated with climate literacy than asset-related characteristics. Extension agencies should prioritise equitable information delivery, interactive Farmer Field Schools, and decentralised agro-advisories.