A Study on the Vulnerability of Fruit Crop Growers to Climate Change in Kalyana Karnataka Region

Abstract

Vulnerability of fruit crop growers due to climate change can be defined as the degree to which the growers are susceptible to or unable to cope with the adverse effects of climate change. An ex-post-facto research design was used for the study. The study was conducted in the Koppal and Bidar districts of Kalyana Karnataka during the year 2022-23, to analyse the climate change vulnerability of fruit crop growers. The total sample consisted of 80 fruit crop growers, comprising 40 mango growers and 40 guava growers from both districts, respectively. A well-structured interview schedule and the Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CVI) was used for the study, which comprised three components: exposure, adaptive capacity and sensitivity to climate change. The overall CVI was found to be 0.124, which indicated a moderate level of vulnerability of growers to climate change. The CVI of Koppal district was 0.144, and that of Bidar district was 0.105. This indicated that the growers in Koppal district were more vulnerable than those in Bidar district to climate change factors. It can be concluded that the socio-demographic and socio-psychological attributes of the farmers might have been influenced variably.