Stratégies d’adaptation des paysans face aux changements climatiques dans la commune rurale de Koula, Mali

Abstract

This study focuses on farmers' adaptation strategies in the face of climate change in the rural commune of Koula, cercle de Tominian. The main economic activities in the rural commune of Koula are agriculture, livestock breeding, fishing and gathering, all of which are strongly threatened by climate change and, by extension, food security. Faced with this situation, farmers and agro-pastoralists are developing strategies that are mostly endogenous techniques. The aim of this study is therefore to identify farmers' adaptation strategies in the face of the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural activities in the rural commune of Koula. To achieve our objectives, we carried out a questionnaire survey of the commune's farmers and interview guides for resource persons. Multi-stage simple random sampling was adapted. The sample size was 160 farmers, and the qualitative survey involved 12 people. The results of this study showed that, in the face of climate change, the populations of the rural commune of Koula have developed adaptation strategies, including sowing new adapted varieties, listening to meteorological information in order to plan field activities, spreading organic fertilizers in the fields on the eve of the rainy season, practicing income-generating activities and receiving financial and material aid from local NGOs and projects during the lean periods.