To adapt or not to adapt: the dilemma between long-term resource management and short-term livelihood.

Mudrakartha, Srinivas

doi:10.1079/9781845931728.0243

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Farmers drill borewells to hedge against production risks associated with low rainfall years, particularly during the dry seasons after the monsoon when the shallow weathered aquifer (15-30 m) in the region dries out (Steinhübel et al, 2020). The drilling of borewells or digging deeper wells as an adaptation strategy in response to droughts or declining groundwater levels has been observed in other parts of the country as well (Jain et al, 2015;Singh et al, 2018;van Steenbergen, 2006;Steinhübel et al, 2020;Mudrakartha., 2007). However, the hard rock aquifers of the region are characterized by low primary porosity and a heterogeneous and low-density fracture network thus leading to high borewell drilling failure rates (Robert et al, 2018;Foster, 2012).…”

Section: Borewellsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Subsidies alone are not enough to increase adoption of agricultural water management interventions

Alam,

McClain,

Sikka

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The adoption of agricultural water interventions for climate change adaptation has been slow and limited despite their established efficacy and benefits. While several studies have identified socio-economic, biophysical, technological and institutional factors that influence adoption, psychological factors have often been overlooked. This study examines the socio-economic and psychological factors, using RANAS behavioral model, that influence the adoption of agricultural water interventions in the semi-arid region of Saurashtra in India. Two contrasting and dominating agricultural water interventions in the area: drip irrigation and borewells are evaluated. Despite subsidies being available for drip irrigation systems, the adoption rate remains low (~16% adopting rate) compared to borewells (~ 24.5% adoption) with no subsidies reflecting farmer’s preference for supply augmentation measures over demand management. Incorporating psychological factors in the analysis improved the explanatory power of the logistic model by almost threefold, underscoring the significance of psychological factors in explaining farmers' adoption decisions. Based on the logistic model, major factors determining farmers adoption behaviour identified are farmer’s perceived ability, risk preference and positive beliefs about the technologies along with socio-economic (e.g., land size) and biophysical factors (e.g., proximity to water). The study recommends a multi-pronged approach to increase the adoption of interventions, including augmenting subsidies with efforts on extension services, post-adoption services, training, and awareness campaigns to build farmers' capacity and raise awareness.

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