Community-based climate change adaptation in upland tropical communities of the Philippines based on a cross-sectional household survey

Abstract. Bangao BJD. 2026. Community-based climate change adaptation in upland tropical communities of the Philippines based on a cross-sectional household survey. Intl J Trop Drylands 10 (1): t100102. https://doi.org/10.13057/tropdrylands/t100102. Climate change increasingly threatens ecosystems, livelihoods, and human well-being, particularly in vulnerable tropical dryland and upland communities. This study examined climate change knowledge, vulnerabilities, impacts, and adaptive responses using a descriptive cross-sectional research design. Data were collected from 240 purposively selected respondents through a validated questionnaire and structured interviews. While the sample size met statistical requirements, the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling may limit temporal analysis and broader generalizability. Findings revealed a high knowledge of climate change among respondents with overall weighted mean of 4.09, particularly on extreme climactic events such as typhoons, droughts, and landslides. Yet, 29.17% of respondents remain highly vulnerable to water shortage, 26.25% vulnerable to reduction of crop yields, soil infertility is 21.25%, and climate-induced diseases shows 19.16% vulnerability. The overall mean of 2.97 on the magnitude of climate change indicates a moderate effect on economic, environment and social domain but with major effect on economic and environmental effects and relatively minor effect on social domain. The computed Pearson correlation yielded an r-value of 0.62, indicating a moderate positive correlation between climate change knowledge and adaptation practices among the respondents. The relationship was found to be statistically significant at the 0.05. Limited institutional support was reported by 89.17% of respondents that has led respondents to rely primarily on locally driven adaptation strategies, including planting drought-resistant crops, diversified farming, and reforestation. Only 3.33% of respondents reported receiving government assistance. Moreover, the study highlights that awareness alone does not reduce vulnerability, as adaptation in tropical dryland is largely sustained through community-based initiatives.