Impacts of Climate Change and Adoption of Adaptation Options by Smallholder Farmers in Southern Sierra Leone

Abstract

Backgrounds and Aims: Climate change affects all sectors of the economy, with farming among the sectors most visibly affected, especially in countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change, such as Sierra Leone. The impacts of climate change on farming and the corresponding adaptation options vary across spatial scales, requiring localised studies to obtain detailed information that can guide area-specific mitigation and adaptation. In view of this, the study presents a detailed analysis of climate change impacts and adaptation options in farming communities in southern Sierra Leone, a region that is becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Study Design: The study employed a case-study and mixed-methods research design examining farmers’ perceptions of climate change impacts and corresponding adaptation options in farming communities. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in southern Sierra Leone. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change impacts and their corresponding adaptation options were collected from May to June 2025. Methodology: Data were obtained from 614 farmers aged 18–65 years, 56.6% of whom were male and 43.4% female. Qualitative data were obtained from focus group discussions, while quantitative data were obtained from household surveys. Conceptual content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data, whereas descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data. Through triangulation, the qualitative data provided a means of validating the quantitative data obtained from farming households. Results: Reduced crop yields (99.0%) and crop failure (87.9%) were the most commonly reported impacts of climate change on crop production, resulting in food shortages (98.0%) and reduced dietary diversity (79.6%). Mixed cropping was the most widely used indigenous adaptation option (48.7%), followed by crop rotation (42.3%) and shifting cultivation (29.2%). Compared with traditional practices, adoption of modern climate adaptation practices was very low, including adjustment of planting and harvesting dates (22.8%), soil and water conservation through mulching, cover cropping, and terracing (16.0%), crop and livestock diversification (15.6%), and drought-tolerant varieties (12.7%). Very few farmers adopted flood-tolerant crops (4.7%), agroforestry (2.6%), irrigation (0.7%), or water harvesting (0.3%). The study showed that 49.8% of the farmers interviewed had adopted at least one climate adaptation option. There was a strong relationship between understanding and perceived climate-impact seriousness (ρ = 0.66) and a moderate positive correlation between climate-impact seriousness and confidence to adapt (ρ = 0.43). Conclusion: Climate change has worsened food insecurity in southern Sierra Leone, given the low yields and food shortages reported by most households. While the adoption of an adaptation option by about half of the farmers indicates a meaningful level of behavioural response, a substantial adaptation gap remains, highlighting structural, informational, and motivational barriers that constrain farmers’ responses to increasing climate impacts. The findings further suggest that deeper knowledge of climate change is closely linked to its perceived severity, but awareness alone is not sufficient for adopting climate adaptation options.