IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/agiwat/v309y2025ics0378377425000551.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Threat appraisal and individual adaptation as drivers for collaborative drought management in the Netherlands

Author

Listed:
  • De Graaff, Lars
  • Wens, Marthe L.K.
  • Hoogesteger, Jaime
  • Mazzoleni, Maurizio
  • Van Loon, Anne F.

Abstract

Drought risk is increasing worldwide. This is putting greater strain on agricultural production and the availability of freshwater resources. The agricultural sector needs to adapt to these increasing drought risks and must transition towards more sustainable and climate-robust production systems. This study aims to explore drivers, barriers, and opportunities for collaborative drought adaptation among farmers. An adapted version of the Protection Motivation Theory framework was developed and applied in a case study in the eastern Netherlands. To test this framework, we collected data using a mixed-methods approach; a combination of a survey, group discussions, and context interviews. We found that farmers with a high threat appraisal and experiences with drought adaptation measures were more likely to implement additional adaptation measures. Additionally, experiences with individual adaptation also increased farmers willingness to engage in collaborative drought management. Adaptation at landscape level was associated with a lower perceived cost and a higher perceived effectiveness, compared to individual adaptation. However, the lack of responsibility among the involved government agencies to initiate drought adaptation at the landscape level was a potential barrier for farmers to collaborate. Based on these results, we argue that lowering the financial risk for farmers through measures such as subsidies or compensation is essential. Additionally, increasing drought awareness among all involved stakeholders can create opportunities to move from intentions to actual collaborative adaptation behaviour.

Suggested Citation

  • De Graaff, Lars & Wens, Marthe L.K. & Hoogesteger, Jaime & Mazzoleni, Maurizio & Van Loon, Anne F., 2025. "Threat appraisal and individual adaptation as drivers for collaborative drought management in the Netherlands," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:309:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425000551
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109341
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377425000551
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109341?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cesario Cambaza & Jaime Hoogesteger & Gert Jan Veldwisch, 2020. "Irrigation management transfer in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of policy implementation across scales," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 3-19, January.
    2. Gisela Wachinger & Ortwin Renn & Chloe Begg & Christian Kuhlicke, 2013. "The Risk Perception Paradox—Implications for Governance and Communication of Natural Hazards," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(6), pages 1049-1065, June.
    3. Wang, Yahua & Huan, Meili, 2023. "The effects of socialized agricultural services on rural collective action in the irrigation commons: Evidence from China," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    4. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    5. Molle, François & Tanouti, Oumaima, 2017. "Squaring the circle: Agricultural intensification vs. water conservation in Morocco," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 170-179.
    6. Alexa Spence & Wouter Poortinga & Nick Pidgeon, 2012. "The Psychological Distance of Climate Change," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(6), pages 957-972, June.
    7. Wenjia Ruan & Sanghoon Kang & HakJun Song, 2020. "Applying protection motivation theory to understand international tourists’ behavioural intentions under the threat of air pollution: A case of Beijing, China," Current Issues in Tourism, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(16), pages 2027-2041, August.
    8. Hoogesteger, Jaime & Tiaguaro-Rea, Yisenia & Rap, Edwin & Hidalgo, Juan Pablo, 2017. "Scalar Politics in Sectoral Reforms: Negotiating the Implementation Of water Policies in Ecuador (1990–2008)," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 300-309.
    9. Kieran M. Findlater & Terre Satterfield & Milind Kandlikar, 2019. "Farmers’ Risk‐Based Decision Making Under Pervasive Uncertainty: Cognitive Thresholds and Hazy Hedging," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(8), pages 1755-1770, August.
    10. Anne M. van Valkengoed & Linda Steg, 2019. "Meta-analyses of factors motivating climate change adaptation behaviour," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 9(2), pages 158-163, February.
    11. Hoogesteger, Jaime & Bolding, Alex & Sanchis-Ibor, Carles & Veldwisch, Gert Jan & Venot, Jean-Philippe & Vos, Jeroen & Boelens, Rutgerd, 2023. "Communality in farmer managed irrigation systems: Insights from Spain, Ecuador, Cambodia and Mozambique," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    12. Alam, Mohammad Faiz & McClain, M. & Sikka, Alok & Pande, S., 2022. "Understanding human-water feedbacks of interventions in agricultural systems with agent based models: a review," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-17(10):10.
    13. Ritzema, H.P. & Nijland, H.J. & Croon, F.W., 2006. "Subsurface drainage practices: From manual installation to large-scale implementation," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 86(1-2), pages 60-71, November.
    14. Gustavo Naumann & Carmelo Cammalleri & Lorenzo Mentaschi & Luc Feyen, 2021. "Increased economic drought impacts in Europe with anthropogenic warming," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 11(6), pages 485-491, June.
    15. Zobeidi, Tahereh & Yaghoubi, Jafar & Yazdanpanah, Masoud, 2022. "Farmers’ incremental adaptation to water scarcity: An application of the model of private proactive adaptation to climate change (MPPACC)," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 264(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adloff, Susann, 2021. "Adapting to Climate Change: Threat Experience, Cognition and Protection Motivation," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242400, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Goerg, Sebastian & Pondorfer, Andreas & Stöhr, Valentina, 2025. "Public support for more ambitious climate policies: Empirical evidence from Germany," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    3. Ling Jia & Queena K. Qian & Frits Meijer & Henk Visscher, 2020. "Stakeholders’ Risk Perception: A Perspective for Proactive Risk Management in Residential Building Energy Retrofits in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-25, April.
    4. Jennifer Oetzel & Chang Hoon Oh, 2021. "A storm is brewing: Antecedents of disaster preparation in risk prone locations," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(8), pages 1545-1570, August.
    5. D. Liliana González-Hernández & Raúl A. Aguirre-Gamboa & Erik W. Meijles, 2023. "The role of climate change perceptions and sociodemographics on reported mitigation efforts and performance among households in northeastern Mexico," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 1853-1875, February.
    6. Robyn S. Wilson & Adam Zwickle & Hugh Walpole, 2019. "Developing a Broadly Applicable Measure of Risk Perception," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(4), pages 777-791, April.
    7. P. Marijn Poortvliet & Anne Marike Lokhorst, 2016. "The Key Role of Experiential Uncertainty when Dealing with Risks: Its Relationships with Demand for Regulation and Institutional Trust," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(8), pages 1615-1629, August.
    8. Michael Greenberg & Anthony Cox & Vicki Bier & Jim Lambert & Karen Lowrie & Warner North & Michael Siegrist & Felicia Wu, 2020. "Risk Analysis: Celebrating the Accomplishments and Embracing Ongoing Challenges," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(S1), pages 2113-2127, November.
    9. Lisa Dillenardt & Philip Bubeck & Paul Hudson & Bianca Wutzler & Annegret H. Thieken, 2024. "Property-level adaptation to pluvial flooding: An analysis of individual behaviour and risk communication material," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 29(6), pages 1-26, August.
    10. Gerrath, Maximilian H.E.E. & Olya, Hossein & Shah, Zahra & Li, Huaiyu, 2024. "Virtual influencers and pro-environmental causes: The roles of message warmth and trust in experts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    11. Rodríguez-Cruz, Luis Alexis & Niles, Meredith, 2020. "Puerto Rican Farmers' Psychological Awareness of Climate Change, and Adaptation Perceptions after Hurricane Maria," SocArXiv e27k4, Center for Open Science.
    12. Zhiying Wang & Xiaodi Liu & Shitao Zhang, 2019. "A New Decision Method for Public Opinion Crisis with the Intervention of Risk Perception of the Public," Complexity, Hindawi, vol. 2019, pages 1-14, July.
    13. Hoffmann, Roman & Kanitsar, Georg & Seifert, Marcel, 2024. "Behavioral barriers impede pro-environmental decision-making: Experimental evidence from incentivized laboratory and vignette studies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    14. Hahnel, Ulf J.J. & Fell, Michael J., 2022. "Pricing decisions in peer-to-peer and prosumer-centred electricity markets: Experimental analysis in Germany and the United Kingdom," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    15. Noah C. Dormady & Robert T. Greenbaum & Kim A. Young, 2021. "An experimental investigation of resilience decision making in repeated disasters," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 556-576, December.
    16. Sedighe Pakmehr & Masoud Yazdanpanah & Masoud Baradaran, 2021. "Explaining farmers’ response to climate change-induced water stress through cognitive theory of stress: an Iranian perspective," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 5776-5793, April.
    17. repec:osf:socarx:e27k4_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Ewa Lechowska, 2022. "Approaches in research on flood risk perception and their importance in flood risk management: a review," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 111(3), pages 2343-2378, April.
    19. Hayam Elshirbiny & Wokje Abrahamse, 2020. "Public risk perception of climate change in Egypt: a mixed methods study of predictors and implications," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 10(3), pages 242-254, September.
    20. Hermine Mitter & Kathrin Obermeier & Erwin Schmid, 2024. "Exploring smallholder farmers’ climate change adaptation intentions in Tiruchirappalli District, South India," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 41(3), pages 1019-1035, September.
    21. Cristóbal De La Maza & Alex Davis & Cleotilde Gonzalez & Inês Azevedo, 2019. "Understanding Cumulative Risk Perception from Judgments and Choices: An Application to Flood Risks," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 39(2), pages 488-504, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:309:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425000551. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/agwat .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.