S. K. Rai

This study is based on a farm house hold survey (818 households) collected from 4 districts of drought prone region of central India and examines that how farmers perceive the climate change and adaptation strategies adopted over the past few decades. Nearly, 80.9%, 93.6% and 95.2% farmers’ perceived that the average temperature has increased, rainfall has decreased and occurrence of drought is more frequent, respectively during last 25–30 years. A significant decreasing trend was observed in annual rainfall at all the studied locations with a rate of 2.1 to 5.8 mm year–1. In most of the locations both maximum and minimum temperature showed an increasing trend during winter season (July-October) in the range of 0.8 to 1.2 and 0.4–1.5ºC per 100 year, respectively. However, only two locations viz., Jhansi and Banda district showed increasing trend in maximum temperature in the range of 0.8 to 2.3oC per hundred years during rainy season. This study revealed that the perceptions of rural farmers on climate change and variability are consistent with the climate trend analysis. Econometric model suggested a positive influence of age, agriculture experience, educational qualification, size of land holding, adequate access to credit facility and crop insurance, intermittent dry spell and adequate extension services on climate change perceptions and adaptation. The results further revealed that 69.8% respondent have implemented adaptation measures in response to dry spell. Furthermore, analysis showed that agriculture experience, educational qualification and intermittent dry spell and access to extension services are the key factors for adoption of various adaptation strategies particularly, irrigations scheduling, use of high yielding improved varieties, pesticides and change of planting date. Inadequate availability of irrigation resources and frequent drought as well as intermittent dry spells were considered as the most critical barriers for adaptation measures to climate change by farmers.