Relationship between climate change adaption strategy and cocoa farming productivity in Trenggalek

¹ Department of Agribusiness, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jember, Jember 68121, East Java, Indonesia
² Department of Agricultural Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jember, Jember 68121, East Java, Indonesia
³ Department of Indonesian Literature, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Jember, Jember 68121, East Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: yuli.faperta@unej.ac.id

Abstract

Climate change, characterized by extreme La Niña and El Niño events, led to a drastic 52% decline in cocoa production in Suruh Village, Trenggalek, in 2022. This study aims to identify farmer adaptation strategies, measure farm productivity, and analyze the relationship between them. Employing descriptive, productivity, and Pearson correlation analyses on a sample of 111 farmers, the study found that although seven adaptation strategies exist, such as constructing rorak and using botanical pesticides, their adoption rate is low, averaging only 46.85%. Meanwhile, the average cocoa farm productivity is moderate, at 0.54 tons/hectare/year. Crucially, the analysis reveals a strong, positive, and significant correlation (r=0.740) between the implementation of adaptation strategies and productivity levels. This key finding underscores that increasing the adoption of adaptation techniques is an effective strategic pathway to boost cocoa productivity and strengthen farmer resilience against the impacts of climate change. Consequently, this research provides a clear directive for policymakers and agricultural extension services to design targeted interventions that bridge this adoption gap, thereby securing local livelihoods and the stability of the regional cocoa supply chain.