Perception of Natural Hazards in Rural Areas: A Case Study Examination of the Influence of Seasonal Weather

A series of factors affect the social perception of hazards in a rural context. This article analyzes how weather conditions influence farmers’ perceptions of natural hazards. In order to understand the relationship between time of year/season and farmers’ concerns about hazards,...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rodrigo Rudge Ramos Ribeiro, Samia Nascimento Sulaiman, Michelle Bonatti, Stefan Sieber, Marcos Alberto Lana
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-03-01
Series:Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2251
Description
Summary:A series of factors affect the social perception of hazards in a rural context. This article analyzes how weather conditions influence farmers’ perceptions of natural hazards. In order to understand the relationship between time of year/season and farmers’ concerns about hazards, this study was undertaken. The methodology was based on surveys done to obtain a base-collection of primary data, as well as a meteorological and production analysis using secondary data. A case study of small coffee farms was carried out in a Brazilian municipality with questionnaires applied during the dry season in 2016 and the rainy season in 2017. The results indicate that drought is the main hazard identified by farmers in both weather seasons. Although there were some changes in perceptions observed, the ranking order of the main hazards did not change over the dry and rainy weather seasons.
ISSN:2071-1050