Dealing with socioeconomic and climate-related uncertainty in small-scale salt producers in rural Sampang, Indonesia

In this study, we aimed to investigate the uncertainty events affecting small-scale salt producers and find out how small-scale salt producers were responding to the combinations of climatic and socioeconomic uncertainty they had experienced. We divided the salt producers into three categories based on land ownership: (1) land owner; (2) wage laborer; and (3) tenant. We examine their perceptions of the problems and their adaptive responses at the household and aggregate levels. Based on fieldwork in salt production areas in rural Sampang, Indonesia. First, we find that the effect of uncertainty events does affect salt producers unequally. This, depending on resources and power within the community. Second, there are advantages and disadvantages of each adaptation. This is representing dilemma of salt producers that shape how adaptation practices are negotiated in order to respond the combinations of climatic and socioeconomic uncertainty. Finally, our finding underlines the challenges of developing an integrated approach to mitigating these uncertainty events.