ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Clim.
Sec. Climate Adaptation
This article is part of the Research TopicSustainable and Climate Resilient Livestock SystemsView all 12 articles
Livestock farmers' perception on effect of climate variability and change on smallholder dairy Farming in Fiji
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fiji National University, Fiji, Fiji
- 2The University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
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This study examines the perceptions and challenges of climate variability and change among smallholder dairy farmers in Fiji, alongside their sources of institutional support. Survey results from 242 farmers revealed a significant climate-related impacts, with pasture loss (64.988% high effect, Mean = 2.517), decreased water quality (55.437% high effect, Mean = 2.405), and reduced milk production (52.107% high effect, Mean = 2.4368) identified as primary concerns, driven by rising temperatures (up to 0.0439°C/year for Tmin), erratic rainfall, and frequent tropical cyclones. Farmers, predominantly older males (73.0% above 54 years) with low incomes (43.439% < FJD 10,000 annually), rely heavily on peer networks (74.80%, mean importance = 4.545) and media (66.10% radio, 63.20% internet) for climate information, with limited engagement from research institutions and universities. Socio-economic vulnerabilities included gender disparities (94.21% male) and limited education, exacerbate adaptation challenges. The decline in milk production from 9.5 million liters in 2012 to 6 million liters in 2021 underscores the urgency for targeted interventions, by introducing climate-resilient practices, enhancing institutional outreach, and implementing gender-inclusive and youth-focused programs to bolster resilience and sustainability in Fiji's dairy sector to increase food security and rural livelihood.
Keywords: Milk production, Climate Change, adaptation strategies, Smallholder, Fiji
Received: 26 Jun 2025; Accepted: 05 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 MOHAMMED RASHEED, Sagero and Magiri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: IGBAL MOHAMMED RASHEED
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