Farmer’s Perception of Climate Change and Factors Determining the Adaptation Strategies to Ensure Sustainable Agriculture in the Cold Desert Region of Himachal Himalayas, India

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study begins with well-defined research questions focusing on climate change perception and farmers' adaptation strategies. This makes clear the purpose and significance of the research.

Farmers use a variety of adaptation strategies, such as managing water resources, changing crop types and introducing technological innovations. These strategies are important for mitigating the effects of climate change. However, income diversification is less widespread, which provides an opportunity for further research and support in this area.

The current sampling was carried out from only 18 villages, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Extending sampling to more villages is proposed  in order to obtain more accurate and comprehensive results.

The study touches on the importance of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAs), but does not elaborate on their effects. I propose that future research analyse in more detail the effects of these practices on sustainable agriculture.

The involvement of local communities and the integration of traditional knowledge can be important in developing effective adaptation strategies. I suggest that future research should place greater emphasis on the involvement of local communities and the use of traditional knowledge.

The effects of climate change are also felt in the long term, so I recommend continuing long-term observations and data collection to get a more accurate picture of changes and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies.

 

Author Response

Reviewer-1:

Comment: The study begins with well-defined research questions focusing on climate change perception and farmers' adaptation strategies. This makes clear the purpose and significance of the research.

Response: Respected reviewer, thank you so much for the positive comment.

Comment: Farmers use a variety of adaptation strategies, such as managing water resources, changing crop types and introducing technological innovations. These strategies are important for mitigating the effects of climate change. However, income diversification is less widespread, which provides an opportunity for further research and support in this area.

Response: Yes sir, your observation is correct.

Comment: The current sampling was carried out from only 18 villages, which may limit the generalizability of the results. Extending sampling to more villages is proposed in order to obtain more accurate and comprehensive results.

Response: The survey was carried out in 22 villages in Lahaul and Spiti region. We agree with your views regarding sampling in this case. This is a limitation of doing field work in the high mountain region with inaccessible terrain, which is already mentioned in the discussion section of the manuscript.

Comment: The study touches on the importance of climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAs), but does not elaborate on their effects. I propose that future research analyse in more detail the effects of these practices on sustainable agriculture.

Response: Respected reviewer, thank you very much for your constructive suggestions. We have added this part in the discussion part as the future scope of study.

Comment: The involvement of local communities and the integration of traditional knowledge can be important in developing effective adaptation strategies. I suggest that future research should place greater emphasis on the involvement of local communities and the use of traditional knowledge.

Response: We agree with your view and are thankful to you for guiding us. We have revised the manuscript according to your suggestions. Now, we hope that the revised aspect will enhance the quality of this manuscript.

Comment: The effects of climate change are also felt in the long term, so I recommend continuing long-term observations and data collection to get a more accurate picture of changes and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies.

Response: Dear reviewer, we agree with your observation. Yes, a longer duration always gives a reliable picture than a narrow period. Certainly, we will consider the forthcoming years in future for upgrading the work.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper under review investigates the perception of climate change on agricultural practices in the cold desert region of the Himachal Himalayas and the factors affect local farmers are adapting to these climatic changes.  Understand the factors affect farmers adaptation strategies is a crucial work to implement further policy implementation and education programs for climate change. 

Overall, the research lays a solid foundation for ongoing discussions about sustainable agricultural practices in the face of climate change. By bridging knowledge gaps and informing policy, the study serves as a crucial step toward fostering resilience among vulnerable farming communities in this region.

I only have some minor questions about this paper

Line 49  What is the certain degree and difference between the Himalayas and the worldwide level?

Line 109 It would be much clear to point out the actors may influence farmers decision here.

Line 122 I suggest use the active voice to write the sentence here.

Line 170 The authors should report how they “randomly” select the 22 inhabitant village

Line 174 The authors should report how they “randomly” found those 215 farmers and I think the authors must compare the demographic characteristic of those 215 farmers with the other farmers in the study area.

Line620 the author should provide clear definition and examples of CSA

Line 645 the red words in the figure 7 photos are not clear.

Line 649 “Another 648 limitation is that the survey only included “eighteen” villages” => it should be 22 villages, right?

Author Response

Reviewer-2:

Comment: The paper under review investigates the perception of climate change on agricultural practices in the cold desert region of the Himachal Himalayas and the factors affect local farmers are adapting to these climatic changes.  Understand the factors affect farmers adaptation strategies is a crucial work to implement further policy implementation and education programs for climate change. 

Overall, the research lays a solid foundation for ongoing discussions about sustainable agricultural practices in the face of climate change. By bridging knowledge gaps and informing policy, the study serves as a crucial step toward fostering resilience among vulnerable farming communities in this region.

Response: Respected reviewer, thank you so much for the positive comment. We are also thankful to you for guiding us. We have revised the manuscript according to your suggestions. Now, we hope that the revised aspect will enhance the quality of this manuscript.

I only have some minor questions about this paper

Comment: Line 49  What is the certain degree and difference between the Himalayas and the worldwide level?

Response: Thank you sir for guiding us. Now we have rectified the phrase with proper citation.

Comment: Line 109 It would be much clear to point out the actors may influence farmers decision here.

Response: We have revised the sentence according to your suggestion.

Comment: Line 122 I suggest use the active voice to write the sentence here.

Response: Revised sentence

Comment: Line 170 The authors should report how they “randomly” select the 22 inhabitant village

Response: Thank you sir for your comment on the random selection of the villages. The study region is sparsely populated, with villages often isolated and difficult to reach. Therefore, our sampling strategy involved a random sampling approach to ensure representation across diverse geographical areas and socio-economic conditions within the region.

Comment: Line 174 The authors should report how they “randomly” found those 215 farmers and I think the authors must compare the demographic characteristic of those 215 farmers with the other farmers in the study area.

Response: Thank you for your valuable feedback regarding the selection of the farmers. We first employed a stratified random sampling approach to select 22 representative villages as already mentioned in the previous response. A total of 215 farmers were randomly selected based on their availability. After that, within each of the sample villages, we collaborated with local village leaders and also visited the local agriculture office to get in-depth knowledge about their respective areas.

Comment: Line 620 the author should provide clear definition and examples of CSA

Response: You are absolutely correct. We have explained the term and made it clear to the reader.

Comment: Line 645 the red words in the figure 7 photos are not clear.

Response: We have improved the figure as per your suggestions. We have tried to remove the red words and increase the readability of the figure.

Comment: Line 649 “Another 648 limitation is that the survey only included “eighteen” villages” => it should be 22 villages, right?

Response: Yes, by mistake we written this. We rectified the mistake in the revised manuscript.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors of the study have addressed a relevant question for the scientific community, using relevant methods. The structure of the study, its logical structure, the research gap and the formulation of the research question are of high quality.

Their results are convincing, but in some cases some additions and corrections are necessary:

• In the relevant literature, maladaptation and noadaptation to climate change are increasingly being examined - it would be worth mentioning this in the literature review - although the research obviously did not take these into account.
• When describing the study area, it would be helpful to include the total population of the area under study, because all that is known at present is that 215 farmers were interviewed. Furthermore, it is methodologically important to know whether the responses were voluntary and whether the participants received any financial compensation for their participation in the research.
• According to TABLE2 (P5), a significant proportion of respondents (13.02%) have no land. It is not clear from the text of the study whether they do not own land or whether they do agricultural work on other people's land.
• In several cases in the study, the authors use the term: "significance level of 90%." I suggest using the internationally accepted form 'confidence level of 90%' instead (e.g. line 297, line 303). It is particularly confusing that the term 'the average temperature at 10% level of significances' is used (correctly in this case!)
• The availability of financial conditions for adaptation (subsidies, development loans) is not included in the influencing parameters (18). This is extremely interesting, as the literature places great emphasis on its importance - if the authors have omitted this, an explanation is essential. In particular, the discussion section (line 631) emphasises the issue of government support.

Minor things to correct:
- Readers may not be able to interpret terms that are common in the region but not used in other parts of the world: (line 59) 'a shortening of rabi season''
- typo in table 1: ' marker oriented;' (market)
- The readability of one of the figures is problematic: in Figure 5, the endpoints of the scale are -3.02 and 3.48, but a graphic element (-) makes it appear as if -3.02 and -3.48 were the two extreme values.
- (line 372) 'sample villages was about 3165 m. above from msl' - suggest '3165 meter above mean sea level (AMSL)' instead

Author Response

Reviewer-3:

Comment: The authors of the study have addressed a relevant question for the scientific community, using relevant methods. The structure of the study, its logical structure, the research gap and the formulation of the research question are of high quality.

Response: Respected sir, we are thankful to you for your appreciation.

Their results are convincing, but in some cases some additions and corrections are necessary:

Comment: In the relevant literature, maladaptation and noadaptation to climate change are increasingly being examined - it would be worth mentioning this in the literature review - although the research obviously did not take these into account.

Response: Thank you very much for guiding us to revise the manuscript with some valuable comments from the esteemed reviewers. We agree that the concepts of maladaptation and no adaptation are increasingly important in climate change research. The scope of this study was focused on climate change phenomena and sustainable agriculture. Although, we have devoted our sincere effort to addressing all the points asked by you.

Comment: When describing the study area, it would be helpful to include the total population of the area under study, because all that is known at present is that 215 farmers were interviewed. Furthermore, it is methodologically important to know whether the responses were voluntary and whether the participants received any financial compensation for their participation in the research.

Response: We have tried to add population statistics of the study region and to upgrade the limitations of the work. Dear reviewer,  we have restricted our manuscript within the defined word limit. For doing this some essential materials have shifted to the supplementary section.
On the other side, we appreciate the reviewer’s concern about the ethical aspects of the research. The participants did not receive any financial compensation for their participation. Additionally, we explained the purpose of the research and they provided informed consent before participating in the interviews.

Comment: According to TABLE2 (P5), a significant proportion of respondents (13.02%) have no land. It is not clear from the text of the study whether they do not own land or whether they do agricultural work on other people's land.

Response: Dear reviewer, We agree you. No land refers to the respondents having no own land but they are engaged in agricultural activity on other people’s land as a lease-based farming agreement (migrant workers).

Comment: In several cases in the study, the authors use the term: "significance level of 90%." I suggest using the internationally accepted form 'confidence level of 90%' instead (e.g. line 297, line 303). It is particularly confusing that the term 'the average temperature at 10% level of significances' is used (correctly in this case!)

Response:  It’s a mistake. Now we rectified the errors.

Comment: The availability of financial conditions for adaptation (subsidies, development loans) is not included in the influencing parameters (18). This is extremely interesting, as the literature places great emphasis on its importance - if the authors have omitted this, an explanation is essential. In particular, the discussion section (line 631) emphasises the issue of government support.

Response: Thank you for raising this important point regarding the omission of financial conditions for adaptation, such as subsidies and development loans as the influencing parameters. Initially, we included this factor in the analysis like “received any government support”. During model development, we observed a significant Multicollinearity issue regarding this parameter. Therefore, we omitted this parameter. We understand your concern. Thus, we devoted our sincere effort to upgrading the work in future and exploring alternative methodologies for integrating financial conditions as well as government support incorporated with the parameters.

We also agree that the discussion highlights the importance of government support and we have revised the part to more clearly acknowledge the limitation and suggest the future direction of the research incorporating the financial support.

Minor things to correct:
Comment: Readers may not be able to interpret terms that are common in the region but not used in other parts of the world: (line 59) 'a shortening of rabi season''

Response: Yes sir, you are right. We mentioned the duration of rabi season (typically from October to March) in the revised manuscript.

Comment: typo in table 1: ' marker oriented;' (market)

Response: Thank you sir, for pointing out the mistake. Now we have rectified it.

Comment: The readability of one of the figures is problematic: in Figure 5, the endpoints of the scale are -3.02 and 3.48, but a graphic element (-) makes it appear as if -3.02 and -3.48 were the two extreme values.

Response: We have revised Figure 5 as per your valuable suggestion.

Comment: (line 372) 'sample villages was about 3165 m. above from msl' - suggest '3165 meter above mean sea level (AMSL)' instead

Response: We have rectified the mistakes.

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx