FARMERS' PERCEPTIONS, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, AND RISK ASSESSMENT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER SCARCITY IN ARID NORTHWEST PAKISTAN

Abstract

This study investigates how small-scale farming communities perceive and respond to water scarcity and climate change in Pakistan’s arid Pishin Lora Basin. Through household survey with 264 famers, the study finds that almost all farmers have observed climatic changes at local level. Their understand of climate change is often shaped by religious and cultural beliefs, mostly attributing such changes to natural cycles and divine will, rather than activities of humans. Such perceptions influence their actions: mostly take little responsibility or capability to play their role in mitigations. Digging more wells and going deeper for water is their main strategy to address water shortage which is an unsustainable and short-term solution. With little formal education and more focus on informal community networks for information, they have limited access to scientific knowledge and advanced climate-resilient agriculture techniques. The study elaborates a significant gap between local experience and scientific strategies of adaptation, arguing that effective climate policy needs to minimize this gap by integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific insights and focusing on deep-rooted perceptions to enhance community resilience.