Maine researchers study perceptions of climate change among farmers and agricultural service providers
Researchers used a mental models approach to understand how farmers and outreach professionals view climate change within the context of whole-farming systems in Maine and Vermont. Their study concluded that that farmer participants did not perceive climate to be a central factor of their farming systems, and valued human and social dimensions more highly than outreach professionals perceived. These factors may warrant special consideration in efforts to make outreach meaningful to local contexts, along with framing climate change within its broader relationship to other farming system aspects.