Climate Smart Agriculture: Learning Experiences from Indigenous Communities in Arid Region of Rajasthan, India

Abstract

Climate change directly affects arid region farming community’s economy, due to heavy dependence of the agricultural sector on climate in India. A decrease of rainfall1s2 and rise in temperature has been increasing the exposure of the whole community to frequent droughts. This study examined arid region farmers’ perception about climate change. Therefore, how farmers view climate change has a significant impact on how they comprehend and manage risks and uncertainties brought on by the phenomenon, as well as how they implement certain strategies to lessen the negative effects of climate change on conventional agriculture. The study was carried out in the climate change-vulnerable Bikaner western district of Rajasthan, India. For the objective of the study, both primary and secondary data were employed. The multistage sampling methods were employed to select farmers in western district of Rajasthan.  The study sample comprised of 200 farmers selected randomly. Our findings showed that farmers have high level of perception about the distribution of rainfall, rise in temperature, increase in frequency of heat waves and droughts in the region. Further climate adaptation measures, farmers resorted to heat tolerant varieties and water conservation techniques. Furthermore, some of the main obstacles to climate adaptation in the area were a lack of information, a lack of institutional credit, ill-defined property rights, and inadequate infrastructure. Numerous superstitious practices and cultural, societal, and religious beliefs related to weather prediction have persisted for decades. Farmers have used these beliefs and practices to forecast the weather for ages. Therefore, to improve farmers' perceptions of climate change and to promote climate wise agriculture, a suitable policy framework and targeted programs for sustainable agriculture growth are required.