Wheat Growers' (WGs) practices to adapt with climate change in the Nile Delta (ND) of Egypt. ممارسات مزارعي القمح للتوافق مع تغير المناخ في دلتا نهر النيل بمصر

Abstract

Wheat growers in the ND of Egypt, are vulnerable to climate change, specifically hydro-climatic severe fluctuations and variability. Phenomena such as heavy rain, drought and salt intrusion increasingly and negatively affect their crop production and productivity, with far-reaching socio-economic and environmental impacts. Reliable hydro-climatic information service received in a timely manner could help farmers improve their responses to hydro -climatic variability, thus improving their agricultural decision-making. This study aims to answer the following questions: What is the currently available technical package of BestFit Practices (BFPs)? What are the levels of application/ adoption of these BFPs among WGs in ND of Egypt? What are the relationships between the WGs' levels of application/ adoption and their characteristics? Study was conducted in 3 villages in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate. A sample of 278 WGs was personally interviewed, by using a questionnaire designed for data collection. The most important results could be summarized as follows: Farmers perceived hydro-climatic variability as high and the quality of available hydro-climatic information as poor. They indicated a need for more accurate, time-specific, trusted and applicable information for improving agricultural decision-making. It was conclude that there is high potential and need for hydro-climatic information services tailored for farmers in the study area. The results of factorial analysis showed that there were three main factors namely: a) Efficient Agricultural Production, b) Innovative and Trustworthy Information, and c) experience-based personal influence. These three factors, together explain 52.34% of the total variance.