Amber Saylor Mase

Unrealized Potential: A Review of Perceptions and Use of Weather and Climate Information in Agricultural Decision Making

AbstractThis article reviews research on agricultural decision makers’ use and perceptions of weather and climate information and decision support tools (DSTs) conducted in the United States, Australia, and Canada over the past 30 years. Forty–seven relevant articles, with locations as diverse as Australian rangelands and the southeastern United States, ranging in focus from corn to cattle, were identified. NVivo 9 software was used to code research methods, type of climate information explored, barriers to broader use of weather information, common themes, and conclusions from each article. Themes in this literature include the role of trusted agricultural advisors in the use of weather information, farmers’ management of weather risks, and potential agricultural adaptations that could increase resilience to weather and climate variability. While use of weather and climate information and DSTs for agriculture has increased in developed countries, these resources are still underutilized. Reasons for low u...

Plausible futures of a social-ecological system: Yahara watershed, Wisconsin, USA

Agricultural watersheds are affected by changes in climate, land use, agricultural practices, and human demand for energy, food, and water resources. In this context, we analyzed the agricultural, urbanizing Yahara watershed (size: 1345 km2, population: 372,000) to assess its responses to multiple changing drivers. We measured recent trends in land use/cover and water quality of the watershed, spatial patterns of 10 ecosystem services, and spatial patterns and nestedness of governance. We developed scenarios for the future of the Yahara watershed by integrating trends and events from the global scenarios literature, perspectives of stakeholders, and models of biophysical drivers and ecosystem services. Four qualitative scenarios were created to explore plausible trajectories to the year 2070 in the watershed’s social-ecological system under different regimes: no action on environmental trends, accelerated technological development, strong intervention by government, and shifting values toward sustainability. Quantitative time-series for 2010–2070 were developed for weather and land use/cover during each scenario as inputs to model changes in ecosystem services. Ultimately, our goal is to understand how changes in the social-ecological system of the Yahara watershed, including management of land and water resources, can build or impair resilience to shifting drivers, including climate.

Extension′s role in disseminating information about climate change to agricultural stakeholders in the United States

The U.S. Cooperative Extension Service was created 100 years ago to serve as a boundary or interface organization between science generated at the nation′s land grant universities and rural communities. Production agriculture in the US is becoming increasingly complex and challenging in the face of a rapidly changing climate and the need to balance growing crop productivity with environmental protection. Simultaneously, extension budgets are diminishing and extension personnel are stretched thin with numerous, diverse stakeholders and decreasing budgets. Evidence from surveys of farmers suggests that they are more likely to go to private retailers and consultants for information than extension. This paper explores the role that extension can play in facilitating climate change adaptation in agriculture using data from a survey of agricultural advisors in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Nebraska and a survey of extension educators in the 12 state North Central Region. Evidence from these surveys shows that a majority of extension educators believe that climate change is happening and that they should help farmers prepare. It also shows that private agricultural advisors trust extension as a source of information about climate change. This suggests that extension needs to continue to foster its relationship with private information providers because working through them will be the best way to ultimately reach farmers with climate change information. However extension educators must be better informed and trained about climate change; university specialists and researchers can play a critical role in this training process.

The effects of extreme drought on climate change beliefs, risk perceptions, and adaptation attitudes

The role of extreme weather events in shaping people’s climate change beliefs and adaptation attitudes has been extensively studied and discussed in academic literature, the popular press, and policy circles. In this manuscript, we contribute to the debate by using data from pre- and post-extreme event surveys to examine the effects of the 2012 Midwestern US drought on agricultural advisors’ climate change beliefs, adaptation attitudes, and risk perceptions. We found that neither climate change beliefs nor attitudes toward adaptation changed significantly as a result of the drought. Risk perceptions did change, however, with advisors becoming more concerned about risks from drought and pests and less concerned about risks related to flooding and ponding. Though increased risk perceptions were significantly associated with more favorable adaptation attitudes, the effects were not large enough to cause an overall shift to more favorable attitudes toward adaptation. The results suggest that extreme climate events might not cause significant shifts in climate beliefs, at least not immediately. Additionally, the results caution that policy designs that rely on increasing risk perceptions to motivate action on climate change may be overestimating the effects of extreme events on feeling at risk, at least in the context of buffered systems such as large commercial agriculture in the US.

Comparing Random Sample Q and R Methods for Understanding Natural Resource Attitudes

This study collects data on community views of the Wabash River in north-central Indiana using 36 representative statements. The statements were incorporated into two different formats: (1) a standard survey, or Likert-type, instrument and (2) a Q-methodology instrument for mailed distribution to two separate random samples of community residents, which allowed for comparing the results of these methodologies. The data were analyzed using factor analysis techniques. The analysis revealed that under identical sampling conditions, the results of Q and R methodologies are similar. Additional discussion focuses on the similarities and differences of these results and how Q methodology can contribute to our understanding of community attitudes toward natural resources.

Trust in Sources of Soil and Water Quality Information: Implications for Environmental Outreach and Education†

Public trust in organizations focused on improving environmental quality is important for increasing awareness and changing behaviors that have water quality implications. Few studies have addressed trust in soil and water quality information sources, particularly for both agricultural and nonagricultural respondents of the same watersheds. Surveys in 19 watersheds across five states in the Midwest assessed trust in, and familiarity with, soil and water quality information sources. Overall, respondents most trusted University Extension, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, while lawn care companies, environmental groups, and land trusts were less trusted. Significant differences in trusted sources were found between watersheds, and between agricultural and nonagricultural respondents across and within watersheds. Among agricultural respondents, a clear relationship exists between familiarity and trust; as familiarity with an organization increases, so too does level of trust. This relationship is less clear-cut for nonagricultural respondents in this region. We highlight implications of these findings for soil and water quality outreach efforts.

The influence of basic beliefs and object-specific attitudes on behavioural intentions towards a rare and little-known amphibian

Abstract Context. Given the decline in amphibian populations worldwide, it is essential to build a better understanding of human behaviours that jeopardise their survival. Much of the literature regarding the social–psychological determinants of behaviours related to wildlife has focussed solely on general wildlife beliefs rather than specific attitudes towards a particular species. Aims. The goal of this study was to assess how individuals’ behavioural intentions towards a rare and little-known species, the hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis), are influenced by their attitudes towards the animal and their more general beliefs about wildlife. Methods. Questionnaires were distributed to landowners in Missouri (n = 1 065) and Indiana (n = 1 378) in counties where the hellbender is known to exist. A multinomial logit regression model was used to assess the relationship between basic wildlife beliefs, species-specific attitudes and behavioural intentions towards the hellbender. Key results. The response rate was 36.6% in Missouri and 41.0% in Indiana. The more value individuals placed on non-hunting wildlife experiences, the less likely they were to say they would engage in a behaviour harmful to the animal (β = –0.47, P = 0.030). The more negative the attitudes towards the hellbender held by individuals, the less likely they were to say they would remove the hook (β = –0.55, P < 0.001), put the animal back (β = –0.77, P < 0.001), or call a resource professional (β = –0.33, P = 0.023). A comparison of the Akaike information criterion (AIC) scores and model log-likelihood values without (AIC = 2 858.36; LLV = –1 395.18) and with (AIC = 2 232.60; LLV = –1 077.30) the species-specific attitude measure showed that its inclusion improved the model. Conclusions. Positive attitudes towards the hellbender and mutualistic wildlife beliefs were related to non-detrimental behavioural intentions. However, attitudes towards the animal were found to be a stronger and more consistent predictor of behavioural intentions than basic wildlife beliefs. Implications. Efforts to conserve rare or little-known species should focus outreach strategies on developing positive attitudes towards these species, so as to achieve desired changes in behaviour.

Local Perspectives and Global Archetypes in Scenario Development

Contrasting social-ecological scenarios can help stakeholders envision potential futures and navigate change and uncertainty. Scenario developers integrate stakeholder perceptions into story lines to increase scenario relevance and plausibility while relying on archetypes of change from scenario literature to enrich narratives. This research examines the contributions of local perspectives and global archetypes to scenario development through a case study of a regional scenario project, Yahara 2070, in Wisconsin, USA. Interviews with 50 Yahara watershed stakeholders and 5 members of the projects scenario development team were examined to compare themes from scenario archetypes with local perspectives on how change is expected to occur. We next examined how these two sources of inspiration for trajectories of change were used in the development of the Yahara 2070 scenarios. Both global archetypes and local stakeholders emphasized social values, market forces, and policy reform as influences in determining the future, which were reflected in Yahara 2070. However, stakeholders were less likely to mention institutional breakdown, an important theme from the global scenarios literature that was included in Yahara 2070. This research offers a new approach to analyzing similarities and differences between scenarios’ narratives and local perspectives. Scenario development may involve tensions between the goals of reflecting stakeholder views and including narratives from the global scenarios literature that may be useful for creating divergent model trajectories and addressing dramatic change into the future. To improve scenario development, scenario projects should document the development process in academic and nonacademic venues, explicitly highlighting sources and constraints in story line development.

Conserving the Eastern Hellbender Salamander

Through a mail survey of 541 residents and riparian landowners in the area surrounding the Blue River watershed of southern Indiana, we examined perceptions and intended behaviors toward the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), an aquatic salamander experiencing drastic population declines due to anthropogenic causes. While anecdotal reports attribute hellbender mortality and removal to anglers and pet collectors, only 5% of respondents reported these negative behaviors. Misconceptions among anglers and the general public about the eastern hellbender were less prevalent than anticipated. Anglers, recreational boaters, riparian landowners, and respondents who were previously familiar with the hellbender displayed more positive attitudes toward the animal than other groupings of individuals. Data collected in this article shaped a detailed education and outreach campaign based on the principles of community-based social marketing.

Assessing Vulnerabilities and Adaptation Approaches: Useful to Usable Tools

Gaining a better understanding of farmers’ vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities is essential for developing climate information they can and will use to adapt. This chapter reviews empirical literature related to the use of season climate forecasts for the farming community around the world. It examines different social science methodologies that can and have been used to assess vulnerabilities of farming households and their adaptive capacities.