Assessing the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity in Farah Province, Afghanistan – A case study

Abstract

This research investigates the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. To analyze this impact, factors such as farmers’ awareness of climate change, sustainable farming methods, access to financial resources, and farmers’ experience were examined. The statistical population of this research included farmers and agricultural experts in the target region, from whom 385 individuals were randomly selected. Statistical methods such as multiple linear regression, Cronbach’s alpha test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and ttests and F-tests were used for data analysis. The results of the multiple linear regression showed that 61.2% of the changes in agricultural productivity are explained by the variables of awareness of climate change, the use of sustainable farming methods, access to financial resources, and farming experience (R2=0.612). The F-statistic was 78.451 with a significance level of p-value = 0.000, indicating the significance of the regression model. The t-tests for awareness of climate change (t = 4.205, p-value = 0.000), sustainable farming methods (t = 3.753, p-value = 0.000), access to financial resources (t = 3.112, p-value = 0.002), and farmers’ experience (t = 2.014, p-value = 0.045) showed that all these factors significantly affect agricultural productivity. Furthermore, the Cronbach’s alpha test showed a value of 0.876, indicating high reliability of the research instrument. Overall, the findings of this research suggest that increasing farmers’ awareness, using sustainable farming methods, providing access to financial resources, and leveraging farmers’ experience can help improve agricultural productivity and reduce the negative effects of climate change. Consequently, to address the adverse impacts of climate change and enhance agricultural productivity, it is recommended that farmers benefit from more training, adequate financial resources, and modern technologies.