Climate change perception and adaptation strategies of hazelnut producers in Çarşamba district

Global climate change affects many sectors. However, among these sectors, the agricultural sector, which is directly dependent on climatic factors, is the most vulnerable. This is especially critical for agricultural products, for which Turkey is the world leader in exports. It is of great importance to know the producer well and to analyze the producer's behavior in the policies to be formed against climate change. In this context, a face-to-face survey was conducted with 135 hazelnut producers in the Çarşamba district of Samsun. Stratified random sampling method was used to determine the number of producers. The questionnaire, which was prepared to collect data in the research, was prepared considering the previous studies and the agricultural activities of the region. Survey data were obtained in May and June 2022. In the research, the socio-economic characteristics of the producers, their communication behaviors, information sources, their level of knowledge about climate change, their perceptions of climate change, their opinions, future perceptions, producer decisions to be taken in case the production is seriously adversely affected, adaptation strategies against climate change and response to climate change. It is aimed to determine the factors affecting the state of taking precautions. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, and binary logistic regression model were used to determine the factors affecting the adaptation measures against climate change. According to the research findings, the rate of producers identified as compatible with climate change in the model is 14.81%. It has been determined that while the education level of the producers, the status of being a member of the cooperative, the agricultural method, the status of participating in the meeting/seminar/conference on climate change and the agricultural income excluding hazelnuts have a positive effect, the agricultural experience period of the producers has a negative effect. In order to raise awareness of producers about climate change and take appropriate measures when necessary, regular training and extension activities should be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, chambers of agriculture, universities, and other stakeholders.