Abstract

A purposive random sampling approach was employed to conduct a comparative assessment of crop-specific climate change adaptation strategies among marginalised farmers in India. The study focused on farmers cultivating paddy, cotton, and pulses in Maharashtra, and wheat, mustard, and barley in Rajasthan. A specially designed, field-tested questionnaire was administered to 280 farmers to assess their willingness to adopt various adaptation strategies. The results indicated that farmers’ willingness to adopt climate change adaptation strategies varied across crops, with the highest willingness observed in cotton (90%), followed by paddy (89%), pulses (77%), and wheat, mustard, and barley (68%). A relatively higher proportion of farmers cultivating wheat, mustard, and barley (28%) expressed reluctance toward adopting such strategies. The willingness to adopt adaptation measures also varied across agricultural practices. The highest levels were observed during harvesting, with 94% for paddy and 88% for pulses, followed by irrigation practices, with 83% for cotton and 78% for wheat, mustard, and barley. In terms of future strategies, all respondents (100%) expressed willingness to adopt high-yielding crop varieties. This was followed by water storage practices, particularly among pulse growers (96%), and crop diversification, with 93% and 83% of paddy and pulse farmers, respectively, indicating readiness to adopt such measures. The findings suggest that marginalised farmers are increasingly aware of climate change impacts and are willing to adopt adaptation strategies. However, these strategies vary across crops and practices, indicating that a one-size-fits-all approach is unsuitable. Therefore, policy interventions must be crop-specific and context-sensitive to promote sustainable agriculture and resilient livelihoods.

Keywords: Agricultural resilience, Crop specific strategies, Climate change adaptation, Marginalised farmers, Sustainable agriculture