Understanding Climate Change Perception among Smallholder Farmers and its Barriers to Adaptation: Evidence from Eastern India

This study investigates smallholder farmers’ perceptions of climate change and the barriers to adaptation strategies. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 29 farmers living in the Ranchi (Chotanagpur Plateau) and Khunti (Eastern Plateau) districts in Jharkhand, India. Results reveal that many farmers recognize environmental variability but they do not necessarily interpret these changes as indicative of ‘climate change.’ Drawing on farmers’ perceptions and the barriers they face to climate change, we identified three distinct categories of smallholder farmers: (i) emerging perceivers cum non-adapters, who observe changes but lack intent to adapt; (ii) constrained perceivers, who understand climate change and intend to adapt but are unable to due to economic, social, and institutional barriers; and (iii) unaware non-adapters, who neither perceive climate change nor plan to respond. However, perception does not guarantee adaptation, indicating a major perception-adaptation gap. Results suggest that barriers to adaptation are multifaceted and deeply embedded in farmers’ socio-economic, institutional, and cognitive contexts. Adaptation is not merely a matter of individual awareness or willingness, but a function of enabling conditions, cultural acceptability, and institutional outreach. Together, these interconnected barriers hamper effective adaptation and constrain climate action at the grassroots level. Addressing these emerging barriers requires a shift from top-down, universal interventions to context-sensitive, region-specific, and inclusive strategies that engage farmers not only as beneficiaries but as co-producers of adaptation knowledge and practices.