Entre diminution pluviométrique et augmentation de la température : la mauvaise perception de la variabilité climatique des communautés locales de Benguéné (Mali) et leurs stratégies d’adaptations

Abstract

Understanding the perception of farmers on how the climate is changing is important for building adaptation strategies. Farmers usually take appropriate adaptive measures only when they have a good perception of the on-going changes. The present study aims at analysing the perception of climatic variability by local population and their strategies to lessen the negatives effects of these changes in Benguene (Mali). The study used mixed method combining qualitative and quantitative analyses. The data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The study sample comprises a total of 29 household heads selected through a purposive sampling Descriptive analyses of socio-economic data were performed and comparative analysis of farmers’ perception of climate parameters with measured climatic data of the period 1983-2018 was carried out. The results revealed that farmers have a wrong perception of the trend of climate parameters as compared to the trend showed by measured climate date. They overwhelmingly perceive an increase of temperature, a decrease in rainfall, a late onset and a premature termination of the rainy season. Measured climatic data however showed a two-phase cyclic variability of the rainfall and a tree-phase cyclic variability of the temperature. In response to the perceived changes, farmers adopted survival strategies more aligned on past climatic chocks than on-going climatic variability. There is an urgent need to provide farmers with updated climatic information to help them distinguish between past and current climatic variability for their adoption of better adaptation strategies.