Naveen P. Singh

Exploring the relationship between local institutions in SAT India and adaptation to climate variability

This paper examines the relationship between local institutions and adaptation to climate variability in four semi-arid villages in India. Based on a qualitative survey, it draws attention to the constraints that farming households face, the role of institutions, and the implications for their capacities to adapt. Using an institutional framework, the study examines the role of local institutions in facilitating community adaptation to perceived climate variability. It was found that at the institutional and community level farmers rely on government schemes that provide social safety nets and the private sector such as moneylenders as sources of adaptation options regarding access to credit. Serious constraints emerged, however, in terms of adaptation to what may be a more challenging future. These constraints were further explored by means of grounded theory. The lack of collective feeling and action has hindered bargaining for better market prices and the development of alternate livelihood options. The need for better financial inclusion and access to more formal systems of finance is necessary to increase the overall adaptive capacity of households. During crisis situations or climatic shocks, the absence of these systems means the sale of household assets and resources especially among small and landless groups of farmers. Overall, rural households perceive that public, civic, and private institutions play a significant role in shielding them against the adverse effects of climate variability. The perceived importance of different institutions is, however, different across different categories of farmers, women, and labourers.

Economic Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in SAT India: An Empirical Analysis of Impacts in Andhra Pradesh Using Ricardian Approach

This chapter analyzes the economic impact of climate change on agriculture for the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The objective of this study is to quantify the impact of climate change on net revenue of paddy crop and 14 other major crops in the 20 districts of the state. The Ricardian approach was used to analyze the effects of climate variables on the net income from the crop. Panel datasets on climatic, agronomic and socio-economic variables were used for this analysis. The results showed that there is significant nonlinear impact of temperature and rainfall on yield over the years on the net income from rice and other crops. On an average in rice; 1 °C rise in temperature will reduce the net income by109 INR (2.42US

Vulnerability to Climate Change in Semi-arid Tropics of India: Scouting for Holistic Approach

) per hectare in these districts and the impact of precipitation are not substantial. Among the analyzed districts, Anantapur face the maximum brunt of the impact of climate change. In case of other crops, there are varied impacts of different climatic variable on net revenue with some district gaining initially and negatively impacting later. As expected, rainfall had positive marginal impacts, however it is very negligible. The socio-economic variable i.e. amount of irrigated area, literacy rate of rural population also showed significant positive effects on the income.

Development and Diffusion of Dryland Cereals in Semi-Arid Tropics of India — Role of Partnerships

Characterizing vulnerable regions is a prerequisite in the priority setting for climate change research and allocating resources for the targeted stakeholders such as farmers, researchers, development practitioners and policy makers. In this context, vulnerability profiles are developed at district level for the varied agro-socio-economic environment of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The districts were indexed, based on the set of indicators representing the three components of climate change vulnerability i.e. exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The standard and widely accepted IPCC approach was used for the indexing purpose. Results indicated that the majority of the districts of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra are vulnerable to climate change. Over the years the analyzed districts experienced a varying level of vulnerability to climate change, with some districts improved and while others slipping into more vulnerable category. This dynamicity existed among the components of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity is reflected in the vulnerability status of the districts. This exercise is a guiding tool for formulating action plans and is way forward in improving adaptive capacity among the rural population.

Potential benefits of drought and heat tolerance in groundnut for adaptation to climate change in India and West Africa

In any crop improvement program, public and private partnerships are vital for development of improved cultivars and their dissemination to the target niche locations. This paper has provided information on the diffusion of dryland cereals (particularly sorghum and pearl millet) in India and has highlighted the role of partnerships in sustaining the crop improvement as well as improved cultivars’ adoption. Over the past two decades, the R&D in pearl millet and sorghum has become increasingly privatized, reflecting a general shift in Indias agricultural research system from public sector dominated to private sector-driven seed development and distribution. The accomplishments of pearl millet and sorghum breeding are considered as the success stories in India, with a large number of high-yielding, disease-resistant hybrids and open-pollinated varieties very widely used by the Indian farmers. This was made possible because of strong partnerships and Consortium model introduced by ICRISAT. This kind of approaches lead to scientific innovations that create a vibrant and sustainable supply of new improved cultivars and their adaptation in the targeted regions very quickly.