Climate Change and Adaptation Strategies in the Gir Kesar …
395
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Paddy
Wheat
Sugercane
CoƩon
Oilseeds
Pulses
Vegetables
Fruits
Others
2012-13
2012-13
2017-18
2017-18
Fig. 1 Gross area shown and area insured (in lakh hectares). Source Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (Credit Division). *Gross Area Sown for 2017–18 has been
estimated based on the data of 2014–15 (eands.dacnet.nic.in)
villages. Based on the information from the automated weather stations installed
in different villages and on the information of the actual plots’ soil requirement,
appropriate advisories are sent to the farmers through mobile phone services about
the possibility of rain/hail storm/heat wave and suggested pesticide or insecticide
spray or the need for irrigation.
Impacts of such technological intervention had been improved yield, reduction in
cost of cultivation and an increase in the skills, knowledge and preparedness of the
farmers.
Crop insurance is another adaptation strategy for the farmers to protect themselves
from the vulnerabilities created by the changing climate. Shockingly in our study
except for one farmer, the rest do not have any insurance for their crop. It appears
that crop insurance is yet to pick up in the context of India. As seen from Fig. 1,
compared to the area under cultivation, the area insured is relatively small in all the
crops implying that only a few farmers opt for crop insurance. Compared to other
crops, in fruits, only a miniscule area is insured. In claiming insurance, automated
weather stations would be very helpful. To elaborate, a particular village, which
did not get any rain and suffered drying of the crops would find it difficult to get
compensation, as the larger weather system would have recorded only widespread
rain and not the lack of rain.
5 Need for Extension Services
Lipper et al. (2014) suggest that in order to make climate change adaptation successful, extension and information dissemination particularly to adapt suggested practices
395
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Paddy
Wheat
Sugercane
CoƩon
Oilseeds
Pulses
Vegetables
Fruits
Others
2012-13
2012-13
2017-18
2017-18
Fig. 1 Gross area shown and area insured (in lakh hectares). Source Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (Credit Division). *Gross Area Sown for 2017–18 has been
estimated based on the data of 2014–15 (eands.dacnet.nic.in)
villages. Based on the information from the automated weather stations installed
in different villages and on the information of the actual plots’ soil requirement,
appropriate advisories are sent to the farmers through mobile phone services about
the possibility of rain/hail storm/heat wave and suggested pesticide or insecticide
spray or the need for irrigation.
Impacts of such technological intervention had been improved yield, reduction in
cost of cultivation and an increase in the skills, knowledge and preparedness of the
farmers.
Crop insurance is another adaptation strategy for the farmers to protect themselves
from the vulnerabilities created by the changing climate. Shockingly in our study
except for one farmer, the rest do not have any insurance for their crop. It appears
that crop insurance is yet to pick up in the context of India. As seen from Fig. 1,
compared to the area under cultivation, the area insured is relatively small in all the
crops implying that only a few farmers opt for crop insurance. Compared to other
crops, in fruits, only a miniscule area is insured. In claiming insurance, automated
weather stations would be very helpful. To elaborate, a particular village, which
did not get any rain and suffered drying of the crops would find it difficult to get
compensation, as the larger weather system would have recorded only widespread
rain and not the lack of rain.
5 Need for Extension Services
Lipper et al. (2014) suggest that in order to make climate change adaptation successful, extension and information dissemination particularly to adapt suggested practices