Nik Ahmad Sufian Burhan, Hayrol Azril Mohamed Shaffril, Suryani Darham Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah, Haliza Abdul Rahman Shaufique Fahmi Ahmad Sidique, Samsul Farid Samsuddin, Nobaya Ahmad Jasmin Arif Shah, Nurul Amiera Khalid Abdul Rais Abdul Latiff, Liew Juneng, Fredolin Tangang
In recent decades, extreme climate events have increasingly affected the Kelantan River Basin (KRB), a major agricultural region in northeast Peninsular Malaysia. This study examines the effects of climate change sensitivity, defined in economic, political, cultural, and institutional dimensions, on farmers’ adaptive capacity and technology adoption, and assesses their mediating roles in influencing economic well-being. Data were collected using questionnaires distributed to 400 farmers in the KRB through convenience sampling, and analysed using PLS-SEM. The results indicate that adaptive capacity, rather than technology adoption (β = −.09, p > .10), significantly improves farmers’ economic well-being (β = .67, p < .01). Economic sensitivity (β = .24, p < .01) positively influences adaptive capacity, while cultural sensitivity (β = −.25, p < .01) has a negative effect. Political and institutional sensitivities show no significant direct influence. Furthermore, adaptive capacity plays a significant mediating role in the relationships between economic and cultural sensitivities and economic well-being. In addition, all dimensions of climate change sensitivity, including economic (β = .23, p < .01), political (β = .13, p < .05), cultural (β = −.16, p < .01), and institutional sensitivity (β = .19, p < .01), significantly influence technology adoption; however, these effects are not translated into improved economic well-being. From a policy perspective, the findings indicate that strengthening farmers’ adaptive capacity is more critical than promoting technology adoption alone for improving economic well-being under climate change. Policies should therefore prioritise capacity-building interventions, including financial resilience, skills development, and access to adaptive support systems, alongside technology-oriented programmes. © 2026, Ulster Institute for Social Research. All rights reserved.
Institute for Social Science Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; Department of Social and Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; Malaysian Community Development and Planning Association (MyCDA), Malaysia; Department of Social Science Education, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang City, Indonesia; Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; School of Business and Economics, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; Department of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Art and Social Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Agriculture Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia; Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam
