Institutional and community adaptation from the archives: A study of drought in western India, 1790–1860

Abstract

The analysis of the socioeconomic effects of, and societal adaptation to, extreme climatic events in the past is an important tool in preparing for future adaptation. However, the history of social responses to climate is relatively understudied, and analyses that do exist take a broadly historical perspective, detached from current vulnerability, adaptation or resilience theory. This analysis attempts to address this empirical scarcity through an examination of drought responses in early-nineteenth century western India, particularly at the government level. The analysis reveals a sociopolitical system that was highly robust in the face of climate stress, despite high levels of vulnerability at the individual level, with hegemonic structures maintained by a system of grain dealer/moneylenders. The period witnessed a move towards market-driven drought response, which apparently reduced adaptive capacity in the short term by allowing speculation in the grain market. This is likely to have been buffered in the medium term by increases in cultivation, greater market openness and the almost universal acceptance of market-driven drought policy by government actors, resulting in a swift response. However, the apparent success of adaptation measures during the first half of the nineteenth century may have masked vulnerabilities to more extreme climatic events, contributing to the catastrophic Indian famines of the late nineteenth century. This bears similarities to the ‘catastrophe hypothesis’, the significance of which is discussed. The study argues for a greater focus on social responses to extreme climatic events in the past in order to address contemporary challenges.