Farmers’ Perceptions and Adaptation Measures towards Changing Climate in South India and Role of Extension in Adaptation and Mitigation to Changing Climate

Abstract

The impacts of changing climate on agriculture are being witnessed all over the world, but countries like India are more vulnerable in view of the large population depending on agriculture and excessive pressure on natural resources. Rainfed agriculture is likely to be impacted severely in view of its’ high dependency on monsoon, the likelihood of increased extreme weather events due to aberrant behavior of south west monsoon. While reducing the green house gas emissions holds key in addressing the problem, successful adaptation to changing climate is important to stabilize the productivity. Adapting to changing climate is a continuous process and communities have wealth of information. As a first step, there is a need to document all the indigenous practices farmers have been following over time for coping with changing climate. An effort has been made to document the perceptions of the communities towards changing climate in three most climatically challenged districts of Andhra Pradesh and the common adaptation practices they resort to. I congratulate the efforts of Dr. Ravi Shankar and his team for bringing this important work in usable form. A better understanding of the farmers’ perceptions towards changing climate, the practices they adopt and the factors that contribute to the decision making help in formulating policies and programs aimed at minimizing the losses and reducing the risk due to changing climate and variability. The results of the study will be useful while planning climate change adaptation programs.