Abstract
Climate change risks are a living reality. Failure to address the adverse impacts of climate change directly undermines the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. In India, subsistence farmers living at the bottom of the economic ladder bear the highest brunt of climate change as they depend heavily on climate-sensitive resources. To analyze the impacts of climate change on traditional agriculture, the present study undertakes a primary survey in Vanvasi Village of Palghar district, Maharashtra, India. First, the study analyzes how climate change affects agricultural yield and productivity by considering rainfall data and farmers’ experiences. Secondly, the study attempts to understand the adaptation practices undertaken by the farmers by analyzing the traditional agricultural practices in the village. The study employed a participatory research method in which in-depth interviews were carried out using a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings of the field survey suggested that the declining rainfall has adversely impacted crop yield in recent years. On the other hand, the adoption of agricultural practices in the village, such as crop rotation, crop diversification, organic manures, and storage mechanism, exhibits sustainable approaches. Among other interventions, barriers to adopting modern technologies can be overcome by easing access to credit and saving facilities.
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Notes
- 1.
Grafting is the “connection of two pieces of living plant tissue in such a manner that they will unite and subsequently grow and develop as one plant” (FAO 2020b).
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Acknowledgements
The study area was chosen as a part of the field study undertaken to fulfill the degree requirements of M.Phil. Program at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. The authors wish to place their sincere gratitude to the class of M.Phil. (2018–2020), Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), for their support in the fieldwork. The fieldwork was financially supported by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
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The authors declare that they do not have any known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this chapter. The contents are solely the authors’ responsibility. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of HSS, IITB.
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Chauhan, S., Pal, M. (2023). Assessment of Climatic Risk and Adaptation Measures in Rural India: A Case Study of Vanvasi Village, Maharashtra. In: Nautiyal, S., Gupta, A.K., Goswami, M., Imran Khan, Y.D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Socio-ecological Resilience in the Face of Climate Change. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2206-2_11
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