VULNERABILITIES AND ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN RAJASTHAN: A GENDER PERSPECTIVE
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Date
2013
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IARI, DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION, NEW DELHI
Abstract
Climate change has wide ranging effects on the environment and on socio-economic
and related sectors, including water resources, agriculture and food security, human health and
biodiversity of arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Developing countries are the most vulnerable to
climate change impacts because they have fewer resources to adapt socially, technologically and
financially. Hence it is important to conduct socio-economic studies related to climate change in
order to devise appropriate strategy for preparedness and adaptation. The present study was
conducted with specific objectives of assessing gender role and resource analysis in crop,
animal and routine household activities, awareness of men and women farmers about climate
change in arid ecosystem, studying the men and women farmers’ perception about climate
change, analyzing men and women farmers’ vulnerability to climate change and their adaptation
strategy, and documenting the institutional interventions for climate change awareness and
adaptation to climate change.
The study was conducted in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan. The district Bikaner was
selected purposively, while the two blocks and four villages and a total of 60 men and 60
women farmers were selected randomly. It was observed that in crop husbandry activities,
women were doing mainly field work like harvesting; intercultural operations and these
activities are affected by climate change. Hence, their work load and drudgery needs to be
addressed. Majority of the work in the animal husbandry activities and routine household
activities were done by the women farmers as compared to men farmers. Awareness about
climate change was low in the women farmers as compared to men farmers. Men and women
farmers perceived climate change in the same way. Majority of the men and women respondents
‘agreed’ that large-scale deforestation was the reason for the present climate change. Women
farmers were more vulnerable (85%) than men farmers (71%) to climate change. Adaptation
practices were documented from men and women farmers like farm diversification, mixed
cropping, use of ash to protect crop from frost, use of drought tolerant varieties, use of
biopesticide, ‘kanna bandhi’, etc. A number of institutional interventions for awareness and
adaptation were documented but farmer’s awareness about these was very low. Furthermore
these interventions have not reached these remote areas. Participation of women farmers was
very low as compared to men farmers in the training organized by different institutions. Study
underlines the importance of climate change communication. The study also revealed the
increasing drudgery for women farmers in the changing climatic
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Keywords
climate, climatic change, biological phenomena, adaptation, irrigation, crops, precipitation, area, livestock, marketing