Assessment of Factors on Assimilation of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices in the North Eastern Hill Region of India: A SWOT-AHP Analysis

Abstract

Aims: To appraise the factors for smooth assimilation of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices in the North Eastern Hill Region (NEHR) of India. Study Design: Exploratory Research Design was followed for the study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the three states Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Meghalaya representing the Tropical, Sub-Tropical and Temperate Agro-Climatic Zone respectively in the region. The study was conducted during 2020-21. Methodology: A Total of twenty-six (26) Extension agents including the Scientist of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) centres, faculty of Colleges under Central Agricultural University, Imphal, and Subject Matter Specialists (SMS) in the KVKs who are working for more than three years in Climate change were selected purposively for the study. The study employed Delphi technique. On the subsequent three (3) iterations only seventeen (17) subject matter experts/specialists, scientist and faculties had responded for the study. To identify the factors of assimilation, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats- Analytic Hierarchy Process (SWOT- AHP) analysis was employed in the study. Results: The study uncovered that ‘Crop and Livestock Diversification due to existence of different Agro-Climatic Zones’; ‘Overly long Return on Investment span of CSA technologies on Adaptation and mitigation of Climate Change Consequences’; ‘Successful Market-aligned supply chain infrastructure from farm to fork’; and ‘Food insecurity & unsustainable livelihood due to negative impact of Climate Change on agriculture & allied enterprises’ were the most important Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, respectively determining the assimilation of CSA practices in the region. The judgement given by the extension agents were found acceptable with inconsistency ratio below 10%. Conclusion: Reflecting the reliable judgement amongst the experts, it shows a helpful scope for modifying the CSA practices that are developed in the region and need to focus on the bottleneck that need to be tackle for successful dissemination of CSA practices in the region.