Study of peasant strategies for adapting to climate change in forested Guinea

This study focused on farmers' strategies for adapting to climate change in the Forest Region of Guinea (Northwest and Southwest), aiming to understand how farmers perceive hydroclimatic variability and the practices they adopt to cope with it.Based on a survey of 304 farmers, combined with a diachronic analysis of land use and vegetation cover between 1981 and 2016, we assessed both local perceptions of climate and the dynamics of change in the forest landscape.Our analyses show that between 1981 and 2016, the region's dense and open forests declined, giving way to more sparse forests or scrubland, suggesting significant degradation of forest cover in the areas concerned.From a socio-climatic perspective, 80% of the farmers surveyed reported observing significant changes in the rainfall cycle: among them, 30% mentioned a decrease in rainfall, 25% a disruption of the seasons, 15% an increase in localized drought episodes (drought patches), and 15% a decrease in agricultural production.To address these challenges, farmers primarily resort to varietal adaptation practices (51%), i.e., choosing more resistant or adapted varieties, modifying sowing dates (32%), cultivating lowland areas (34%), and diversifying crops and activities (25%).The use of organic fertilizers, although less widespread (12%), is also an adopted strategy.However, irrigation technique and water and soil conservation practices-although identified during the interviews-remain rarely or never Study of peasant …