Climate change is an inevitable phenomenon that is experienced globally in various forms such as rising temperatures. Sea level rise, drought, floods, hurricanes, landslides, etc. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC project, even with the immediate implementation of mitigation strategies, global climate change will continue for decades. Climate change is causing serious consequences for human well-being and will continue to cause damage in the future. The global average temperature is estimated to increase by 1.8 ºC - 4.0 ºC by the end of the 21st century (Izaurraade, 2009). A new global climate model predicts that surface air temperatures are likely to exceed existing records over the next decade (Smith et al., 2007). Increasing seasonal temperatures in the tropics and subtropics by the end of the 21st century will exceed the most extreme temperatures recorded in history (Battistic and Rosamond, 2009). Agriculture is considered one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate change. However, at present, the overall impact of climate change on agricultural productivity at a global scale is not reliably estimated (Gornall et al., 2010). Many studies show serious implications on agricultural productivity, for example IFPRI (2009) projects that in South Asia by 2050 climate change will reduce the production of rice, wheat and corn by 14%, from 44% to 49% and from 9% to 19% compared to agricultural productivity. no climate change situation. The historical temperature yield relationship indicates that, on a global scale, warming from 1981 to 2002 most likely offset some of the yield gains resulting from technological advances, rising CO2, and other nonclimate factors (Lobell and Field, 2007). Developing countries are believed to be more vulnerable than developed countries...... middle of paper ...... local agriculture and food security, this paper attempts to provide an overview of observed and projected climate changes in Sri Lanka, its impact on the agricultural sector and climate change adaptation strategies through reviewing recent literature on climate change. To develop appropriate strategies and institutional responses to climate change targeting smallholder farmers it is necessary to have a good understanding of the local agricultural environment in terms of farmers' perception of climate change, key issues faced by farmers in overcoming climatic adversities, local knowledge and strengths on adaptation to climate change. Therefore there is a dearth of such research studies undertaken in Sri Lanka; This article presents a case study undertaken on a farming community in the Intermediate Zone to demonstrate how farmers perceive and respond to climate adversity.