i TURE 



effort required to improve human 

 adaptation to drought must meet the 

 same standards of efficacy, technical 

 feasibility, favorable cost, and social 

 acceptance that should govern any 

 adaptive behavior. 



Farmer Adaptation to Drought 



In at least three parts of the world, 

 the problem of human adaptation to 

 drought is under continuing, inten- 

 sive study. Saarinen has studied 

 farmers' perceptions of the drought 

 hazard on the semi-arid Great Plains 



of the United States; Heathcote has 

 studied pastoral and agricultural 

 farming in Australia; and Kates and 

 Berry have carried out pilot studies 

 of farmer perception among small- 

 holders in Tanzania. By way of illus- 

 tration, the work of Saarinen and 

 Kates can be compared directly, using 

 farmer interviews from comparatively 

 dry areas of the respective countries. 

 The focus in Figure VII-10 is on 

 actions, on alternative adjustment 

 strategies to reduce drought losses. 



The two studies were carried out 

 quite independently; therefore, it is 



Figure VII-10 — COMPARATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF 

 FEASIBLE ADJUSTMENTS TO DROUGHT 



The table shows the replies received from farmers in Tanzania and the United 

 States when questioned about what they were willing to do in case of drought. 

 Some 131 farmers in Tanzania and 96 in the U.S. were queried. In Tanzania, 

 farmers mentioned an average of only one possible adjustment whereas U.S. farmers 

 could think of an average of more than two to overcome the drought problem. 



of considerable interest th I 

 from differently phrased questions 

 are comparable. The available 

 ceived strategies for mechanized U.S. 

 grain farmers are not intrinsically 

 different from those of hoe-cultivator 

 Tanzanians. The mix of perceived 

 adjustments differs, however — more 

 actions in total being proffered by the 

 U.S. farmers, more of these related 

 to farm practices, and more of these 

 requiring high-level technological in- 

 puts. Tanzanian farmers seem more 

 inclined to pursue adjustments not 

 directly related to agricultural prac- 

 tices, and thus are more prepared to 

 change their livelihood pattern than 

 to alter their specific cropping be- 

 havior. Thus, the major contrast 

 that emerges is between a flexible 

 life pattern with an unchanging agri- 

 cultural practice as opposed to a more 

 rigid life pattern with an adaptive 

 agricultural practice. These behav- 

 ioral patterns are suggestive of either 

 alternative perceptions of nature it- 

 self or of opportunity for mobility. 

 The Tanzanian farmer seems willing 

 to move with an uncertain nature; 

 his American counterpart appears 

 readv to battle it out from a fixed site. 



Broadening the Range of Available 

 Adaptive Behavior 



A farmer or rancher faces the re- 

 current, often perennial choice of 

 plant or grazing location, of the tim- 

 ing of plant and cultivation, of the 

 appropriate crops or stock, and of 

 methods of cultivation and grazing. 

 In seeking to broaden the agricul- 

 turist's range of choice of drought 

 adjustment, the scientist offers his 

 usual and somewhat paradoxical 

 knowledge: We know more about 

 plant-water relationships than seems 

 evident from the application of our 

 knowledge; but we know less about 

 these relationships than we need to 

 know in order to apply the knowl- 

 edge widely. 



Data Base — - We could now pro- 

 vide for many parts of the world 

 much improved information on which 



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