The subjective experience of drought : a study in rural Tasmania

If climate change occurs as predicted, forecasts suggest more frequent and prolonged droughts in Australia. Farming populations, responsible for the supply of fresh food to the greater population, are often worst hit when these weather events occur. The current study looks at the construction and interpretation of drought and climate change in farmers through the midlands of Tasmania. A mixed method approach was used in the current study and a phenomenological scientific reduction to analyse the stories of 13 farmers. Six major themes emerged from the data including preparedness, positivity, social connectedness, reflective practice, perseverance and solastalgia. Preparedness relates to awareness of problem areas in drought and the preparation for these. Positivity covers aspects of experience relating to the living of life well and social connectedness relates to the role of and connection to other people and to the community more generally. Reflective practice relates to the learning from experience captured by ongoing assessments of the situation, application of skills and knowledge, and the development of new skills and knowledge where necessary in the face of drought. Perseverance involves sustained effort and little reward and tolerance of unpredictability and uncertainty and solastalgia is an experiential theme related to the noticing and response to change through drought and over time. Although distress is evident in the stories of farmers in the current study, emergent themes highlight a sense of strength, community, resilience and perseverance through drought.