Resilience of agriculture in a climatically vulnerable state of India

Abstract

The issue of climate change impact on agriculture and developing resiliency is of prime importance to ensure food and livelihood security. A study was conducted in Odisha, a climatically vulnerable state of India, to assess the resilience of agriculture on the basis of district-wise agricultural scenario worked out through a composite agricultural scenario index (ASI) for the period 2001–2002 to 2013–2014 and to study adaptation mechanisms developing resilience. As irrigation, socio-economic and climatic variability scenario influence resilience of agriculture, these were also studied through relevant indexes and mapped with help of Arc GIS software. The maximum and minimum ASI value among all 30 districts of Odisha during the study period have ranged from 86.30 to 65.80 and 24.60 to 12.80, respectively, showing the fluctuations that may be attributed to the climatic aberrations. The coastal districts Balasore and Bhadrak have showed a relatively better resilience of agriculture in the years of climatic disasters maintaining the ASI value at a higher level as compared to other districts due to better groundwater irrigation and socio-economic scenario in those districts. However, other coastal districts have shown less resilience with decrease of ASI value to a greater extent in the years of climatic hazards. Therefore, the adaptation mechanisms in case of natural resource management, crop farming, livestock farming and institutional innovations were delineated in a resilient coastal district of Balasore and non-coastal district of Khurda. Adoption of climate resilient technologies by farm households has helped in bringing resilience of agriculture to climate change.