Livelihood diversification and climate change adaptation in Indo-Gangetic plains: implication of rainfall regimes

Mafongoya

Journal of Asian and African Studies

2020

Drought is a major challenge threatening agricultural productivity in uMsinga. The occurrence of drought is expected to increase in coming decades, intensifying in severity, duration and the way people are affected by drought. The objective of this study is to understand small-scale farmers’ and rural communities’ perceptions of drought, its environmental and socio-economic impacts, adaptive and mitigation measures at household level and their satisfaction with the government’s role in drought management in the community. The study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, in the form of questionnaires, focus groups and key informant interviews. The sample size for the research study was 180 respondents for the questionnaire component and a total of 30 respondents for the focus groups and key informant interviews. The results show that increased levels of poverty, food insecurity and increased migration were the main socio-economic impacts perceived by respondents. Water scarcity, crop failure, forest degradation and an increase in average temperatures were perceived by respondents as the main environmental impacts caused by drought in uMsinga. Respondents perceived drought as a serious threat to agricultural production and adopted various indigenous adaptive strategies. A majority of respondents adopted a reactive approach to drought management, and therefore did not adopt many mitigation measures.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impacts of Drought and the Adaptive Strategies of Small-Scale Farmers in uMsinga, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Mafongoya

Journal of Asian and African Studies

2020

African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation

“…Hence there is a clear need for dedicated policy and governance efforts to systematically target, support, and incentivize context-specific livelihood diversification opportunities that are harmonized across competing developmental objectives. Bhatta et al (2015) highlight that livelihood and diversification strategies need to be tailored to both localized climatic and non-climatic resources alike to minimize risks and facilitate the lowest-cost (social and economic) transition to climate resilience.…”

Section: Is Livelihood and Economic Diversification The Answer?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation to Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges from Zambia

Rawlins¹,

Kalaba

2021

Context appropriate adaptation interventions and strategies that respond directly to localized climate change stressors, hazards, and vulnerabilities are critical for the sustainable development of countries like Zambia. This chapter examines both localized and systemic climate change risk pathways and barriers to adaptation action in Zambia.A three-staged methodology was applied, combining content analysis, focus group discussions, and expert interviews. Livelihood diversification was identified as the central adaptation option across Zambia, despite little empirical research detailing possible risks of diversification. The dominant adaptation discourse is focused specifically on diversifying within agriculture-based livelihoods. However, as all agricultural activities are impacted by climate change, diversification also needs to be explored in value-added or alternative sectors. With this, a weak policy framework and enabling environment are exacerbating cycles of poverty that underpin climate change vulnerability in Zambia. Moreover, maladaptation risks of existing diversification interventions are high as generic approaches often do not provide suitable options to complex and localized risk profiles.To implement a sustainable transition toward climate resilient and compatible development in Zambia, the authors recommend that a systematic livelihood diversification strategy should be rolled out and future research programs designed to support this. Specifically, this necessitates a system-wide analysis of pre-identified livelihood diversification pathways that can be adapted to different scenarios given the current and future climate uncertainties at local scales. The approach should focus on harnessing the positive feedback loops for systematic change to build resilience, while minimizing the dominant risk pathways and eliminating persistent barriers that enable positive feedback loops driving vulnerability to climate change. Thorough stakeholder engagement and incremental development of diversification options, incentives, penalties, and other governance and/or policy mechanisms will be needed to support these processes.

“…The poorer households, on the other hand, are trapped in the same low return sectors resulting in overall widening of inequality. Bhatta et al (2015) opined that the implication of climatic and non-climatic resources such as rainfall and farm types on livelihood diversifi cation; household food security and farmers' adaptation remain under studied in Indo-Gangetic Plain. Farmers in the medium rainfall regime diversify less on the on-farm but more on the off -farm activities, indicating that agriculture is becoming less important in medium rainfall zone.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of Livelihood Diversification among Households in Bundelkhand Region

Gautam¹

2022

irjee

Livestock in Bundelkhand region occupies a prominent position contributing signifi cantly to the livelihood, mitigation of risks and distress of the farmers. Dairy production is an important component in the entire region with greater focus on the buff alo rearing of milk cattle rearing.The study was conducted purposively in Bundelkhand region, which comprises of Uttar Pradesh (7 districts) and Madhya Pradesh (6 districts). Two districts from each state viz. Lalitpur and Banda from Uttar Pradesh, whereas, Datia and Damoh from Madhya Pradesh were selected. Then, two blocks from each district were selected randomly. Two villages from each block and 20 respondents from each village were randomly selected; thus, making the total sample size of 320 respondents for the study. It was observed that 59.68 per cent of the respondents belonged to a middle aged group (36 to 50 years) followed by category of old age group (Above 50 years) and young (up to 35 years) which accounts for 25.94 per cent and 14.38 per cent, respectively. It was revealed that most (69.69%) of the respondents fell under the medium category (2.2 to 9.76 litre milk per day) of milk production, followed by 15.94 per cent and 14.37 per cent belonged to high (>9.76 litre milk per day) and low (<2.2 litre milk per day) categories, respectively. In case of large farmers, most (43.33%) of the respondents were diversifying their livelihood at high level. Education, land holding, annual income and extension contact had positive and highly signifi cant relationship with livelihood diversifi cation at 1 per cent level of significance