Determinants of Farm-Level Adaptation Practices to Climate Extremes : A Case Study from Odisha, India

A large number of rural households in the state of Odisha, India are dependent on agriculture for their basic livelihoods, which is affected by the frequent occurrence of climate externalities like cyclones and floods. In response, the farm households do also undertake adaptation measures to minimise the economic impact of these externalities. It is, imperative to analyse the current adaptation strategies of the farm households so that future adaptation policies aimed at scaling up adaptation strategies can be designed effectively. Using a survey data of 285 farm households in the cyclone and/or flood prone districts of Odisha, the present study identifies the farm-level adaptation measures as well the determinants of these measures: agricultural extension, access to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, received crop loss compensation and informal credit. It is concluded that the government adaptation policies and investment options should take into account these determinants in order to enhance the adaptive capacity of the rural farmers in the cyclone and flood prone regions of the state