Atheena, U P creator Smitha, S (Guide) text Vellanikkara Department of agricultural extension education, College of agriculture 2023 monographic 159p. The threats posed by climate change are no longer a far-off phenomenon and has become more widespread in many countries of the semi- arid tropics including India. Among agrarian populations, these impacts are particularly pronounced, as they contend with ever-more uncertain conditions to raise food and earn a living. Climate change found to have different impacts on women’s and men’s natural, physical, social and financial capital. Therefore, a gender sensitive perspective is essential while responding to the environmental and humanitarian crises caused by climate change. With this backdrop, the present study was conducted to know gendered difference in climate change adaptations among vegetable farmers. The respondents were selected from four randomly selected blocks of Palakkad district. Data collection was carried out among 80 male farmers, 80 female farmers with minimum ten years’ experience in vegetable cultivation and 20 extension personnel from the selected area. An interview schedule was developed and standardized to collect data from the respondents. The results revealed that among the 160 vegetable farmers, more than 90 per cent farmers were found to be aware of climate change indicators except increase in number of rainy days. The gender disaggregated analysis of perception on the effect climate change shows that a greater number of male vegetable farmers have perceived severe effects of climate change on water, soil, animal husbandry and other effects including increase in cost of cultivation. While, greater number of female farmers experienced crop related effects and calamities at severe levels. Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), adaption strategies were examined among male and female key farmers and found that the most substantial strategy among male farmers was use of organic manure (global priority-0.13) and that of female farmers was crop rotation (global priority- 0.12). Analysis of farmers levels of adoption for each adaptation strategy within each component shows that crop rotation (92%), use of organic manure (99.38%), supplementary irrigation (76.25%), pest surveillance (65.62%), income diversification (72.50%) and getting help from government and other agencies (71.25%) are the most adopted practices. With regard to the mean climate change adaptation index, two sample t-test was employed and results indicated a significant difference in the adoption of financial management and other strategies by male and female farmers (p values 0.5 and 0.42). Results of binary logistic regression of climate change adaptation with socioeconomic variables taken as independent variables revealed that gender and change in level of extension contact or risk bearability could bring a corresponding chance of 21, 14 and 87 per cent respectively for a farmer to adopt a climate change adaptation strategy. The major constraints faced by vegetable farmers, associated with the climate change adaptation were lack of government support, high cost of the agricultural inputs needed for adaptation strategies and inadequate credit facilities and lack of agricultural subsidies. Other salient findings from the study shows that, majority of the farmers (58.75% male and 63.75% female farmers) belonged to middle age groups. Slightly above half (51.25%) male farmers and 37.5 per cent female farmers had secondary level of education. Majority of the male farmers (70%) and female farmers (62.5%) had medium range of farming experience (12-26 years). Majority of farmers belonged to marginal farmers (65% male and 78.75% female). More than half of the respondent male farmers (60%) and female farmers (51.25%) had medium range of annual income (1.30- 3.74 lakhs). Majority (61.25% of males and 65% of females) of the respondents have not integrated any of the components. Vast majority of the respondents (93.75% male and 91.25% female farmers) acquired climatic information through fellow farmers regularly. A large number of farmers (57.5% male and 46.25% female) have been attending training programmes regularly. VFPCK officials followed by Agricultural Officers were the most preferred extension officials. All the male vegetable farmers and majority of the female vegetable farmers had social participation with 13.75 per cent males and 8.75 per cent females held official position in the organizations. Majority of the farmers were found to be availed credit (70% male and 75% female) and insurance (63.75% males and 60% females). A greater number of the respondents have medium risk bearability (67.5% male and 87.5% female), market orientation (72.5% male and female) and scientific orientation (68.75% male and 67.5% female) Msc English Age, gender, education Farming experience Social participation Financial assistance Market orientation Scientific orientation 630.71 ATH/GE PG https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810214231 https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810214231