Constraints Faced by the Farmers towards Adaptation to Extreme Climatic Events on Agriculture: A Study in the Coastal Region of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Agriculture in the coastal regions of West Bengal is increasingly threatened by extreme climatic events such as cyclones, erratic rainfall, sea-level rise, and saline water intrusion. These events jeopardise food security and rural livelihoods, particularly for small and marginal farmers with limited adaptive capacity. This study aims to identify and analyse the constraints faced by farmers in adapting to such climatic adversities in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur. An ex-post facto research design was adopted using a mixed-methods approach. Data were collected through structured interviews with 300 randomly selected farmers across four vulnerable blocks - Mathurapur II, Kultali from South 24 Parganas; and Ramnagar I and Ramnagar II from Purba Medinipur district. The perceived constraints were categorised into personal, technological, communicational, and institutional domains, and analysed using descriptive statistics and Garrett’s ranking technique. Findings revealed that high input costs, fragmented landholdings, and poor investment capacity were the most severe personal constraints. Technological constraints included over-dependence on monsoons, lack of technical guidance, and non-availability of salt-tolerant varieties. Inadequate extension services, limited access to information resources, and weak farmer membership in different organisations emerged as major communicational constraints. Institutionally, the absence of timely credit and inefficient compensation mechanisms was most prominent. Across both districts, farmers prioritised economic support measures - such as subsidies, input supply, and minimum support prices - as key adaptation needs. Notably, respondents of South 24 Parganas emphasised training and knowledge enhancement, whereas respondents of East Medinipur highlighted market access and soil health improvement. The study underscores the urgency of district-specific, multi-dimensional adaptation strategies that integrate financial support, policy reform, infrastructure investment, and capacity-building initiatives. Strengthening institutional and technical support systems is found to be critical for enhancing resilience in climate-vulnerable farming communities.