Climate Change-Induced Drought Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation Measures in Semi-Arid Pastoral and Agricultural Watersheds

Lakshmanan Muralikrishnan,Shadi Shokralla,Tarek K Zin El-Abedin,Anchal Dass,Eman A Mahmoud,Shadi A M Abdelmohsen,Hosam O Elansary,Anil K Choudhary,Rabindra N Padaria

doi:10.3390/su14010006

Abstract

Periodic drought is a major challenge in drought-prone areas of South Asia. A sample survey of farmers (n = 400) from South Asia was conducted to study the farmers’ perception about drought impacts on their socio-economic status, agro-biodiversity, and adaptation besides public institutions’ drought mitigation measures. The results revealed reduced surface and groundwater availability, soil degradation, partial or complete crop failure, increased agricultural fallows and wastelands, biodiversity loss, decrease in agricultural yields, pasture lands, and livestock in drought-impacted South Asia. About 16–26% of the farmers perceived a reduction in the agricultural area and production of commercial crops and millets in drought-prone areas, while changes in the cropping of pulses, oilseeds, horticultural, and fodder crops were minimal. About 57–92% of respondents showed a reduction in the consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and fish. Unemployment, migration, reduced farm income, and malnutrition were major socio-economic impacts among respondents (38–46%). Despite sufficient public support as a mitigation strategy, the farmers had poor participation (8–65%) for agri-information and adaptation (7–36%) against drought impacts. Hence, researchers, extension agents, and policymakers must develop efficient ‘participatory-mode’ drought adaptation and mitigation policies in watershed-based semi-arid pastoral and agricultural regions of South Asia and similar agro-ecologies across the globe.

Highlights

Since the old age farmers mostly relied on indigenous knowledgebased drought adaptations strategies while the young farmers with comparatively better educational status mostly trusted on digital platforms for the weather-based information systems, the current study cohesively covered both these information regimes utilized by the farmers in the survey schedule
Periodic drought is the major challenge in drought prone areas of southern India
Farm level in-situ soil and water conservation activities are not being well maintained in watersheds

Summary

Introduction

Climate change issues cause various climate-related hazards, such as floods, droughts, intense summers, extreme heat waves, slight cool weather events, storms and other extreme weather events [2,3]. Among the climate change induced natural hazards, the drought ranks first in terms of the number of people directly being affected largely in Asian, African and Sub-Saharan countries [4,5]. A drought is a period of time during which an area or region lacks adequate precipitation and below-normal precipitation. It causes reduced soil moisture, reduce surface and ground water storages [6,7].

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Results

Conclusion