Klimatförändringar och klimatanpassning i jordbruket: En undersökning om medvetenhet, inställning, hinder och behov hos lantbrukare i Sjöbo kommun

Sammanfattning

The agricultural sector is both affecting and affected by climate change. Future climate is predicted to be warmer and wetter with more weather extremes. This is going to affect the already vulnerable agricultural sector and we need to strengthen our food production and food security. Therefore, agriculture needs to adapt to climate change to prevent negative effects but also to utilize the potentials of longer seasons and warmer climate. A survey was sent to farmers in the municipality of Sjöbo to investigate their awareness and attitude to climate change and climate adaption. The aim was to examine how the farmers have worked to reduce agricultures effects on climate change but also how they work to adapt to climate change and what potential obstacles and difficulties they encounter regarding these areas. As a complement to the survey six experts were interviewed to also get their point of view. The result of this study is consistent with previous studies showing that farmers are aware of climate change, they know what to do to adapt, they see the need of long-term planning and are interested in taking action to adapt their businesses. The main difficulties experienced by farmers and experts concerns economy such as profitability and economic support and subsidies. To implement and increase climate adaption in agriculture, the right conditions must be created through profitability, appropriate legislation and regulation, as well as a long-term perspective in economic support and subsidies. Sjöbo municipality’s role will be to continuously set requirements on the farmer according to the legislation and to, based on this study’s results, provide information that is adapted to the farmer’s needs. The reduction of agriculture’s climate impact and intensification of climate adaption is a complex reality. Only when all parts are in place will we have a safe food production.