Irrigation Influencing Farmers’ Perceptions of Temperature and Precipitation: A Comparative Study of Two Regions of the Tibetan Plateau

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

General comment

The paper is interesting.

Maintaining and / or increasing production capacity aimed primarily at guaranteeing an adequate level of subsistence for farmers in the Tibetan Plateau, represents a crucial objective for increasing the resilience of these populations increasingly exposed to the effects of climate changes.

I agree with the authors, that a fundamental point of the question connected to the resilience of populations and beyond the specific policies to support the reduction of the vulnerability of the means of production, is that of the perception by the population, i.e. farmers, to climate change.

he awareness that the climatic conditions they have to deal with have radically changed compared to those in which traditional farming practices had developed, constitutes the prerequisite for adapting their living conditions and guaranteeing their sustainability. Adaptation, and in particular the choice of specific conditions of adaptability, represent the only condition for the survival and development of this area. In the process of identifying supporting policies, the awareness of the population should be identified as an element that structures them, without which they could be ineffective.

 

Specific comments for sections

The different sections of the paper are good to structure. The objectives are clearly expressed both in the abstract and in the introduction section; the methodological approach, results and discussions are quite clear; I only recommend supplementing the conclusion section by outlining the possible developments of this study and specifying how it can be integrated into the development of specific policies to support farmers in the Tibetan Plateau.

Author Response

We are very grateful to your comments for the manuscript. According to your suggestion, we amended the relevant part in the manuscript. We have carefully answered your comments in the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The authors here present an interesting study examining two regions of the Tibetan Plateau and farmers perceptions on temperature, and precipitation change over several decades and how the presence or absence of irrigation affected the farmers’ perception of the climatic trends. The paper is well written, and the figures are clear and well constructed. The aspect of the study that is unique is the region where it’s being conducted, the results are intuitive but I feel add to the literature body on decision making and perceptions of agriculturalists in the backdrop of a variable and changing climate. I recommend the paper is acceptable for publication following a round of proof reading/minor editing. 

 

Author Response

Thanks for your comments.

Reviewer 3 Report

Please see attached document

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

We are very grateful to your comments for the manuscript. According to your suggestion, we amended the relevant part in the manuscript. We have carefully answered your comments in the attached file.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Two very minor comments

Authors have done an excellent job responding to both reviewers.

 

Comments on Professor Tao Wang and others’ paper on “Irrigation Influencing. ..of the Tibetan Plateau.”

 

1. I thank the authors for the diligent consideration of reviewer comments.
2. I believe their changes have improved the manuscript.
3. I have two minor points:
   1. For the editor and authors to decide: The interviews were of individual farmers, hence the farmer’s perception; the data from the interviews were then aggregated, analyzed, and reported by elevation (PRB and YHV). Does this then become Farmers’ Perceptions versus Farmer’s Perceptions?
   2. ….publicizing the consequences of climate change and improving farmers abilities of risk perception. “ I would change the wording here to …improving the farmer’s (here it is the individual farmer) ability to perceive this risk.
      1. I am not sure whether to include a recommendation to go one step further and say … to perceive this risk and to know what accomodations may be available.”