Impact of Climate Change on Rice Farmers' Incomes

Developing countries such as Togo, whose economies rely heavily on the agricultural sector, remain highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In light of this situation, field surveys were conducted among 602 rice farmers across all rice-producing regions of Togo to measure the impact of climate change on their incomes. The results showed that rice farming generates a positive profit margin for producers. Irregular rainfall patterns, flooding, prolonged droughts, the emergence of new diseases, and other factors are among the producers' perceptions of climate-related effects. An econometric analysis of the data using the Ricardian approach showed that socioeconomic variables have various significant effects on income overall. In contrast, the impact of temperature and rainfall was found to be insignificant on income. However, excessive or reduced temperature or rainfall would contribute to lowering rice farmers' income levels, depending on the observed signs.