Climate Change Awareness and Climate-Related Challenges Affecting Smallholder Farmers in Southern Sierra Leone
Abstract
This study assessed climate change awareness, understanding, observed climatic changes, and climate-related challenges affecting smallholder farmers in the Southern Region of Sierra Leone. A convergent mixed-methods research design was employed, integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected from 614 smallholder farmers selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Household surveys, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and secondary data sources were utilized. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ordinal logistic regression, binary logistic regression, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The findings revealed that 80.2% of farmers had heard of climate change, with Radio/TV (56.0%), community groups (47.7%), and family/traditional knowledge (43.5%) serving as the major information sources. Farmers reported increasing temperatures (79.0%), irregular rainfall (69.5%), and prolonged dry seasons (58.6%) as the most noticeable climatic changes. Unpredictable rainfall (91.9%), soil degradation (79.2%), drought (68.9%), and pests and diseases (67.3%) emerged as the most severe climate-related challenges. Ordinal logistic regression showed that age (OR = 1.723, p < 0.001), education level (OR = 1.552, p < 0.001), and residency status (OR = 1.516, p = 0.032) significantly influenced climate change understanding. Binary logistic regression identified irregular rainfall (OR = 3.367), lack of irrigation (OR = 3.086), soil degradation (OR = 2.824), and drought (OR = 2.328) as major predictors of severe climate-related impacts (p < 0.001). Significant district-level differences in climate vulnerability were observed, while the Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significant variation in extreme weather frequency across districts (χ 2 = 71.08, p < 0.001). The study concludes that climate change awareness is relatively high, but vulnerability remains substantial. Strengthening climate information services, extension support, irrigation development, and the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices is recommended to enhance resilience and promote sustainable agricultural development among smallholder farmers in Southern Sierra Leone.