Adaptation strategies to address the climate change impacts in three major river basins in India.

Abstract

Abstract The agriculture sector is highly vulnerable to climate change in many parts of the world. There is an increasing concern among farmers, researchers and policy makers about the potential impacts of climate change on food security and livelihoods. Researchers are using several climate change models to make an assessment of the impacts and identify adaptation strategies. The present chapter reviews the current state of understanding of the climate change impacts on irrigation water in South Asia and specifically on the crop yield and relevant adaptation measures in three major river basins (Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery) in India. Optimization model was used to evaluate the different adaptation practices and their potential to maximize rice production and income, and minimize water use for the mid- and end-century climate-change scenarios. Adaptation practices such as systems of rice intensification, machine transplantation, alternate wetting and drying (AWD) and direct seeding could reduce the water and labour use by 10-15% and stabilize rice production in the long term. The study suggests the need for technology upscaling, which should be backed up with well-planned capacity-building programmes for the farmers.