Shristi Adhikari

Coming from a mountainous country, Nepal, Shristi is a young environmentalist advocating for equal gender representation and meaningful participation at climate policy decision-making tables with an educational background of Bachelor in Agriculture Science from Nepal. She holds qualifications at the advocacy level, project coordinator, and researcher, with a primary focus on strengthening grassroots underprivileged women farmers and educating youths about ‘Climate Change’ issues. She was named as one of the top 100 global youth leaders at the ‘Youth Ag Summit 2021’ for the noble vision of promoting gender equality in the food sector. She was also awarded the ‘Regen Grant Fund $1500’ from Asia for the project ‘Gender, Climate Change, and Food Security’ in 2021 and was given the title ‘Local Food Heroes’ by FAO in 2022 in honor of World Food Day. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies at Kentucky State University, USA, working as a graduate research assistant and focusing her research area on ‘Perception, Practices, and Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events: Insights from Communities in Kentucky’. 

 

Thesis topic

Perceptions, Practices, and Preparedness for Extreme Weather Events: Insights from Communities in Kentucky

Thesis concept note

Extreme weather occurrences are one of the key emerging challenges for humankind in the 21st century. Kentucky serves as a critical case study due to its increasing encounters with severe weather events that have significantly impacted daily life. Communities faced not only immediate hazards but also long-term lasting impacts such as reduced agricultural production, degraded soil quality, infrastructure stress, etc.

While the existing research has highlighted the agricultural vulnerability in Kentucky and the growing need for weather adaptation systems with frequent changes in weather events affecting the daily life of an individual. However, the pathway from awareness to action is not always straightforward. People may be aware of increased weather risk but are not ready to act on it. Conversely, some may implement adaptive practices without perceiving weather risk. So, understanding the interplay among perceptions, practices, and preparedness is crucial for designing effective adaptive strategies.

This research seeks to understand how people with diverse backgrounds in communities respond to change in extreme weather events, how it impacts their adaptation decisions, and how well are the extension members prepared to act during such extreme weather events.

The significance of this study is to provide policymakers with comparative insights on perceptions of extreme weather events from farmers and non-farmers, enabling more inclusive adaptive strategies. That ultimately support extension services to outreach in the community by designing locally relevant programs that encourage active weather-resilient practices.