Adaptive capacity of agricultural institutions to climate change and the barriers: a comparative study from Turkey

Many rural populations in least developed countries and developing countries primarily depend on private and autonomous responses to climate change, although effective adaptation requires the integration of both farm-level and institution-level strategies. Accordingly, most studies on climate change adaptation (CCA) in agriculture focus on farm-level adaptation, while research on institutional adaptive capacity centres on formal institutions, such as governmental and non-governmental organizations and their policies and plans. This paper aims to bridge these areas with two objectives. First<i>,</i> it assesses the internal adaptive capacity of formal agricultural institutions and identifies the key barriers to their effectiveness across three distinct regions of Turkey. Second, it examines institutional support for farmers’ resilience and the associated barriers. Using an adapted seven-indicator approach, the study draws on 48 survey questionnaires analysed with descriptive statistics and 29 semi-structured interviews with key informants from meso-level agricultural institutions, analysed thematically. Major findings indicate that: (a) structural constraints, primarily stemming from past dependency and the centralization of key capacities, constitute a pervasive barrier to the adaptive capacity; (b) key barriers to internal institutional adaptive capacity include limited financial and other resources, inadequate CCA training and expertise, farmers’ mistrust of agricultural experts and officials, poor integration of technology, and a lack of coordination. For successful CCA in agriculture, it is essential to first critically assess structural barriers and strengthen the internal capacities of institutions, enabling them to increase farmers’ resilience to climate change. The paper reveals underexplored dimensions of agricultural CCA at the intersection of institutional internal adaptive capacity and farm-level adaptation. Central CCA plans should be adapted to meet the specific needs of regional and local agricultural institutions.The Farmer Registration System (FRS) should be adapted to meet new climate requirements proposed by the Basin-based Support Model and TARSİM (agricultural insurance mechanism).Agricultural institutions need to better integrate agroecological methods, including no-till/reduced till, water harvesting and intercropping, into their dissemination services. Central CCA plans should be adapted to meet the specific needs of regional and local agricultural institutions. The Farmer Registration System (FRS) should be adapted to meet new climate requirements proposed by the Basin-based Support Model and TARSİM (agricultural insurance mechanism). Agricultural institutions need to better integrate agroecological methods, including no-till/reduced till, water harvesting and intercropping, into their dissemination services.