Crop-specific climate adaptation practices for rice, maize, and chili: A case study from Giribawa, Sri Lanka

Climate change poses a serious threat to global food security, with particularly severe impacts on smallholder farmers in developing countries. This study examines crop-specific climate adaptation practices among rice, maize, and chili farmers in Sri Lanka’s Dry Zone. Data were collected from 454 farming households using focus group discussions and structured surveys to identify adoption rates and barriers across six adaptation categories: climate-resilient varieties, soil and water management, improved cultivation methods, sustainable nutrient and pest management, mechanization, and protected cultivation. Results reveal distinct crop-specific patterns: rice farmers widely adopt short-duration varieties (98.5%) and adjust planting schedules (93.3%) but show limited uptake of mechanization; maize farmers prefer low-cost practices such as crop rotation (73.1%) while avoiding capital-intensive measures; chili farmers demonstrate greater willingness to invest in high-density planting (55.9%) and irrigation technologies when institutionally supported. Barriers also vary by crop: lack of information constrains rice adaptation (27.4%), perceived extra labor limits maize practices (30.3%), and high costs restrict chili adaptation (36.9%). The findings indicate that effective adaptation requires crop-tailored policies that integrate traditional knowledge with modern technologies, strengthened extension services, accessible mechanization options, and targeted subsidies reflecting each crop’s economic value and farmer resource constraints. Such measures can enhance resilience, promote sustainable production, and support food security for smallholder farmers facing climate change.