Dr Alex Arnall, Associate Professor of Environment and Development and Head of the Department of International Development, spoke on a panel at the 2026 Asia Grassroots Forum in Jakarta on 3 and 4 June, where his contribution was reported by the environmental news outlet Mongabay. Addressing a forum focused on building sustainable business ecosystems for smallholders, he described climate change as an “agent of exclusion” that leaves farmers facing two overlapping pressures at once: volatile global markets on one side and increasingly erratic weather on the other.
Drawing on his research with salt farmers in Thailand, Dr Arnall explained how even highly skilled traditional producers are seeing their hard-won knowledge eroded by sea-level rise and coastal change, with many losing confidence in weather patterns that were once dependable. His remarks sat alongside those of local entrepreneurs and other researchers who pointed to the financing gap and market volatility confronting farmers across the region.
Read the full report by Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/indonesias-grassroots-farmers-face-increased-unpredictability-experts-say/