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International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Vol. 2, Issue 2, Part A (2020)

Farmer’s perception of climate change and agriculture adaptation strategies in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir

Author(s):

Sanjay Koushal

Abstract:

Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy in India and it is highly dependent on climate. Climate change have altered and the evidences reveal trends of marked seasonal fluctuations, extreme weather events, aberrant precipitation, forest and agricultural shifts, disease outbreaks, water stress, food insecurity etc. The impacts of climate change are particularly worrying for the farmers of Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir as the region is ecologically highly fragile and encompass vivid livelihood based natural resources. The issue of climate change has gained increased attention in recent times due to the perceived negative repercussions it has on a range of activities chiefly agriculture. The study was conducted in the selected villages of KVK Reasi. These villages have well known farming areas and contributing significantly in agriculture to the district. This research paper analysed farmer's perception of causes, constraints and strategies towards effective climate change adaptation in district Reasi. Data were collected by survey method on 210 respondents using structured interview schedule and questionnaire. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression model to test farmers’ perception on climate change. The targeted farmers were adult farmers with at least 10 years of farming experience in the area. Data was collected on perceptions about temperature changes and variability in precipitation over a period of 10 years. The study reveals that 70% of interviewed farmers are in a certain degree aware of climate change and 30% of farmers think the climate has not changed. But most of farmers unaware about the reasons of climate change. About 92% of the respondents perceived increases in temperature, while 87% perceived decrease in precipitation over the years. The extent of climate change on farms were revealed by changes in uncertainties of onset of farming season, including the delay in onset of rainfall, erratic rainfall pattern, higher temperature; extremities of weather events such as high sun intensity, desertification, heavy rainfall, loss of forest resources, heavy winds; and increase in farming problems, such as loss of soil fertility, reduction in farm yields and high rate of disease/pest incidence. Adaptive strategies used included change in cropping pattern, agronomic practices, and use of resistant varieties, processing to minimize post harvest loss, and reforestation. The farmer’s expectation to mitigate the ill effects of climate change was to create awareness among farmers about appropriate adaptation measure. The farmer’s constraints to adaptation included lack of financial resources, lack of access to weather forecasts, and limited access to improved crop varieties.

Pages: 36-41  |  341 Views  108 Downloads

How to cite this article:
Sanjay Koushal. Farmer’s perception of climate change and agriculture adaptation strategies in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir. Int. J. Pharmacognosy Pharm. Sci. 2020;2(2):36-41. DOI: 10.33545/27067009.2020.v2.i2a.73
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