Wendy-Lin Bartels

Warming up to climate change: a participatory approach to engaging with agricultural stakeholders in the Southeast US

Within the context of a changing climate, scientists are called to engage directly with agricultural stakeholders for the coproduction of relevant information that will support decision making and adaptation. However, values, beliefs, identities, goals, and social networks shape perceptions and actions about climate change. Engagement processes that ignore the socio-cultural context within which stakeholders are embedded may fail to guide adaptive responses. To facilitate dialog around these issues, the Southeast Climate Consortium and the Florida Climate Institute formed a climate learning network consisting of row crop farmers, agricultural extension specialists, researchers, and climate scientists working in the Southeast US. Regional in scope, the learning network engages researchers and practitioners from Alabama, Georgia, and Florida as partners in adaptation science. This paper describes the ongoing interactions, dialog, and experiential learning among the network’s diverse participants. We illustrate how participatory tools have been used in a series of workshops to create interactive spaces for knowledge coproduction. For example, historical timelines, climate scenarios, and technology exchanges stimulated discussions about climate-related risk management. We present findings from the workshops related to participants’ perspectives on climate change and adaptation. Finally, we discuss lessons learned that may be applicable to other groups involved in climate education, communication, and stakeholder engagement. We suggest that the thoughtful design of stakeholder engagement processes can become a powerful social tool for improving decision support and strengthening adaptive capacity within rural communities.

Creating Extension Programs for Change: Forest Landowners and Climate Change Communication.

The Cooperative Extension Service in the United States can play an important role in educating forest landowners to improve forest resilience in the face of climatic uncertainty. Two focus groups in Florida informed the development of a program that was conducted in Leon County; presurveys and postsurveys and observation provided evaluation data. The Reasonable Person Model (RPM) was a helpful framework for developing the program and explaining results. Landowners desired more information in order to manage their forests in light of climate change after the program than before.

Climate Histories in Black and White: Contextualizing Climate Services Through Anthropology

Although agricultural communities have long adapted to changing markets, weather patterns, regulatory environments, and technology innovations, increasing climate pressures are challenging tried and tested responses. This article ponders the contribution anthropologists can make to enhance climate services programs that build adaptive capacity. A comparison of two community workshops conducted in the southeast United States illustrates the roles that anthropologists can play to reveal the heterogeneity of perspectives, needs, and experiences among farmer groups. The article describes how differently Black and White farmers experienced past changes and how divergent historical narratives influence perspectives about current and future adaptation pathways. Instead of solely focusing stakeholder-scientist discussions on how farming systems need to adapt, results highlight the importance of considering those “unforeseen” factors that shape adaptation options. The study underscores the importance of developing...