Farmers' adaptation decisions to landslides and flash floods in the mountainous region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Pakistan

Understanding farmer's agricultural production decisions regarding natural hazards plays crucial role for extension of organizations and policymakers to facilitate farmers to make optimal adaptive strategies. The aspect of determinants affecting the farmer's preference of measure in adaptation procedure investigated in limited studies of literature. This study focused this research gap in scenario of Pakistan and investigated rural households' decision-making adaptation strategies process regarding landslides and flash floods hazards. The research work used household survey data of 398 purposively selected farmers of district Shangla from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. This study used manifold-portfolio structure, assumes as farmers have several preferences of adaptation strategies all together explained adaptation options are symbiotic. Multivariate probit models were employed in this paper for the empirical estimation of the study. Variegation of crops, crop-type diversifications, cropping pattern changing, crop protection and implementation management are primary adaptation measures used by respondent households. Inadequate information regarding landslides and flash floods, lack of technical equipments and machinery, insufficient money and limited support from local government were considered foremost limits in this study region. The study conclusion indicated as farmers' perceptions, farming descriptions, farmers' socioeconomic characteristics, and institutional conditions strongly affects farmers' adaptation assessment about landslides and flash floods. In future policies, it is more appropriate as major involvement of these causative factors to make possible appropriate adopting adaptation strategies for inhabitants of local areas.

Automated summary

Understanding farmer's agricultural production decisions regarding natural hazards is important for extension organizations and policymakers to help farmers make optimal adaptive strategies. This study focused on investigating rural households' decision-making adaptation strategies process regarding landslides and flash floods hazards in Pakistan. The primary adaptation measures identified included variegation of crops, crop-type diversifications, cropping pattern changing, crop protection, and implementation management. Insufficient information, lack of technical equipment and machinery, insufficient funds, and limited support from local government were considered as the main limitations in the study region.