Adapting Agriculture: Policy Implications of the Rise of Resistant Seeds in Farmers' Climate Change Strategy

Abstract

This paper explores farmers' perceptions of climate change and their preferred adaptive and mitigatory strategies within Slovakia's Nitra region, aiming to devise recommendations for climate change-oriented agricultural policies. Our methodology incorporates an analysis of perspectives gathered from a regional survey using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and SuperDecisions software, complemented by a risk-attitude assessment using the modified Multiple Price Lists (MPL) method. A subsequent heterogeneity analysis correlates these preferences with respondents' socio-economic status and risk attitudes. Our findings underscore the use of improved, resilient seeds as a favored adaptation measure and reveal a correlation between farmers' socio-economic attributes and their climate change strategy preferences. Based on this, we propose inclusive, micro-level agricultural policies that prioritize the unique climatic needs of the Nitra region and strongly consider the priority viewpoints of farmers within this region, aiming to promote sustainable agriculture under changing climatic conditions.