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
The Muda River Basin (MRB), Malaysia’s largest granary area, faces increasing climate extremes that threaten agricultural productivity and farmer livelihoods. Understanding how farmers perceive climate risks is critical for developing effective adaptation strategies. In this study, climate change sensitivity is defined as farmers’ perception of economic, political, cultural, and institutional susceptibility to climate-related impacts. This study investigates how these dimensions of sensitivity influence adaptive capacity and technology adoption, and how these factors, in turn, affect economic well-being. Data were collected from 382 farmers across five districts in Kedah using a structured questionnaire, and analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that both adaptive capacity (β =.60, p <.01) and technology adoption (β =.18, p <.01) significantly enhance economic well-being. Adaptive capacity was strongly shaped by all four sensitivity dimensions, while economic and cultural sensitivity also directly influenced technology adoption. Climate anxiety, included as a control variable, reduced both adaptive capacity and adoption rates. These results underscore the importance of institutional support and cultural considerations in strengthening farmers’ adaptive responses. Policy measures that promote access to technology, build farmer trust in institutions, and integrate mental health awareness such as climate anxiety into extension programs can enhance resilience and improve economic well-being in the MRB. © 2025, 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
