Building resilience: Farmers’ challenges and solutions to climate change in Marathwada
Abstract
The present study was conducted during 2023–24 in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India, to examine the profile characteristics of farmers, identify the constraints they face due to climate change, and gather their suggestions for overcoming these challenges. Out of the eight districts in the Marathwada region, three districts i.e. Nanded, Dharashiv, and Hingoli were purposively selected based on their significant climatic variability in terms of rainfall and temperature. Within each selected district, two tehsils were randomly chosen, resulting in six tehsils for the study. Furthermore, two villages were randomly selected from each tehsil, and 15 farmers from each village were randomly chosen, making a total of 180 respondents. An ex-post facto research design was adopted, and data were collected through a pre-designed interview schedule. Farmers were personally contacted to ensure accuracy, validity, and completeness of the responses. Statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and ranks were employed for data analysis and interpretation. The findings revealed several major constraints faced by farmers due to climate change, including high costs of agricultural inputs (80.56%), lack of knowledge about effective climate change adaptation strategies (77.22%), low market prices for agricultural produce (75.56%), limited understanding of long-term climate change impacts (71.67%), increased frequency and severity of crop losses due to natural calamities (70.56%), and delays in settling crop insurance claims (66.11%). Farmers suggested that agricultural inputs should be made available at reasonable prices (81.67%), extension services should be strengthened to guide them on climate change adaptation strategies (78.33%), minimum support prices should be determined based on the cost of cultivation (76.11%), awareness campaigns should highlight the effects of climate change on agriculture (72.22%), government policies should support farmers during natural calamities (71.11%), and prompt crop assessments should facilitate early settlement of insurance claims (68.33%).These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address the identified constraints and implement the suggested measures, enabling farmers to better adapt to climate change impacts.
Full Text
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Introduction
Climate change poses significant challenges to the agricultural sector, particularly in regions like Marathwada, Maharashtra, where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for the majority of the population. The region's vulnerability is exacerbated by its dependence on monsoon rainfall, erratic weather patterns, and limited access to adaptive resources. Over the years, farmers in Marathwada have faced increasing difficulties due to rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, and a higher frequency of extreme weather events, which directly impact crop productivity and agricultural income. To address these challenges, it is essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the socio-economic and agronomic profile characteristics of farmers and the constraints they face due to climate change. Additionally, gathering farmers' suggestions for overcoming these issues is crucial to developing effective strategies for resilience. This study aims to explore two key objectives: (1) to analyze the profile characteristics of farmers in the Marathwada region, and (2) to identify the constraints faced by farmers due to climate change and gather their proposed solutions.
By addressing these objectives, this research seeks to provide actionable insights that can guide policymakers, extension agencies, and other stakeholders in formulating strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. Such efforts are vital to ensure sustainable agricultural practices, improve farmers' livelihoods, and promote climate resilience in the region.
Materials and Methods
The present study was conducted during 2023-24 in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, India, to examine the profile characteristics of farmers, identify the constraints they face due to climate change, and gather their suggestions for overcoming these challenges. The study area was selected purposively from the eight districts of the Marathwada region, focusing on three districts-Nanded, Dharashiv, and Hingoli-based on their significant climatic variability in terms of rainfall and temperature. Within each selected district, two tehsils were randomly chosen, resulting in a total of six tehsils for the study. Furthermore, two villages were randomly selected from each tehsil, and www.extensionjournal.com respondents, ensuring comprehensive representation. This sampling procedure resulted in a total of 180 respondents. An ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study, as it facilitates the investigation of existing phenomena without manipulation of variables. Data were collected using a pre-designed interview schedule to ensure the systematic collection of relevant information. Farmers were personally contacted to enhance the accuracy, validity, and completeness of their responses. Statistical tools such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage, and rank analysis were employed to analyze and interpret the data, allowing for a clear understanding of the constraints faced by farmers and their suggested solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Results and Discussion 1. Profile characteristics of farmers in the Marathwada region
Table 1 indicated that, the demographic and socio-economic profile of the farmers surveyed in the Marathwada region highlights the diversity and challenges in their agricultural practices.
Age:
The majority of the farmers (58.89%) were in the middle age group (37 to 58 years), followed by older farmers (23.33%) and younger farmers (17.78%).
Education: A significant proportion of the farmers had attained high school education (33.33%), while 27.22% had completed primary education, 15.56% had educate up to Jr. College level, 15% had Diploma/Graduation level, however, 8.89% of the respondents were illiterate, indicating the need for targeted educational interventions.
Landholding: Most farmers had small to marginal landholdings, with 40% classified as small farmers (1.01 to 2.00 ha) and 30.56% as marginal farmers (up to 1.00 ha), 21.67% had semi medium farmers. Only a small fraction (7.78%) owned medium or large farms (above 4.00 ha).
Annual Income:
The majority of farmers (75%) fell into the medium-income category (R.s 72,601 to R.s 2,50,743), while 12.78% earned high incomes and 12.22% had low annual incomes.
Farming Experience: Over half of the farmers (54.44%) had moderate farming experience (10 to 35 years), while the remaining were evenly split between low (up to 9 years) and high (36 years and above) experience levels.
Source of Irrigation: Borewells were the predominant source of irrigation (56.66%), followed by wells (36.11%). Other sources like canals (4.44%), pond (1.11%) and rivers (1.67%) were less common, while 11.11% of farmers lacked any irrigation source.
Cropping Pattern:
The cropping pattern was rated as fair for most farmers (67.22%), while 18.89% had poor cropping practices, and 13.89% demonstrated good practices.
Scientific Orientation:
A medium level of scientific orientation was observed in 55% of farmers, with 24.44% having a high orientation and 20.56% scoring low. The above findings are in line with Shankara (2010) [5] , Lal (2014) [3] and Chouksey (2019) [2] . www.extensionjournal.com
3) Suggestions to overcome the effects of climate change An effort was made to gather suggestions from farmers on how to overcome the constraints they faced. The data concerning the farmer's suggestion is presented in table 3. The above findings are in line with Murthy (2019) [4] and Yadav (2021) [6] .
Conclusion
The present study highlights the critical challenges faced by farmers in the Marathwada region due to climate change and
References
- Ansari MA, Joshi S, Raghuvanshi R. Understanding farmers' perception about climate change: a study in a North Indian state. Advances in Agriculture and Environmental Science. 2018;1(2):85-89.
- Chouksey R. Extent of awareness of farmers regarding climate resilient technologies in Rewa block of Rewa District (M.P.) [master's thesis]. Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya, Jabalpur; 2019.
- Lal SP. Assessment of livelihood security and resilience among farmers affected by national calamity in Bihar [master's thesis]. National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal; 2014.
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