Farmer's Perception of Climate Change Impacts on the Productivity and the Quality of Fig Crop in Matrouh Territories

Siddique, Amal Kamel; Nawar, Mohamed Helmy; Ismail, Salwa Mahmoud; Tohamy, Hussein Mohamed

doi:10.21608/sjas.2023.228389.1324

Farmer's Perception of Climate Change Impacts on the Productivity and the Quality of Fig Crop in Matrouh Territories

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Rural sociology, faculty of agriculture, cairo university

² Rural Sociology, Fac. Agric., Cairo University

³ Social Studies Department, Socio-Economic Studies Division, Desert Research Center.

10.21608/sjas.2023.228389.1324

Abstract

Egypt is the second-highest country in fig production. Matrouh governorate holds 83.5% of the nation’s total fig cultivated area. This crop is considered the main source of income for Bedouins in that governorate. Fig trees are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Coping with the adverse effects of climate change depends on the farmers’ levels of perception of the impacts of climate change on the productivity and quality of Fig. Hence, this study aims to explore the respondents’ level of perception of climate change, its adverse effects on fig production, and the relationship between the respondents’ perception and several demographic and socio-economic variables related to them. The study was conducted on a random sample of 120 farmers from two villages in Matrouh Governorate by using a questionnaire administered through personal interviews. Results showed that 48.3% of the respondents had a high level of perception of climate change and its adverse impacts. They also observed eight major changes in their production, the most important of which are infection with the red spider, delayed ripening, and infection with fungal diseases. In addition, 68.3% of the respondents believe that climate change has a negative impact on the productivity of the fig crop. Furthermore, 23.3% believe that there is a high negative effect on the quality of the product. Finally, the results indicated a positive correlation between the adverse effects of climate change and only two independent variables: the area of the fig farm and the age of the fig trees.

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