Top

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

Published in:

01-04-2024 | Original article

Effect of different forms of capital on the adoption of multiple climate-smart agriculture strategies by smallholder farmers in Assam, India

Authors: Jigyasa Sandilya, Kishor Goswami

Published in: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change | Issue 4/2024

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

Agricultural production is affected by the threats of climate change, such as changes in the frequency of extreme events (such as flood and drought), changes in rainfall patterns, and increased pest attacks and diseases. As a result, the farmers face huge socio-economic losses in the form of loss of lives, loss of cultivable lands, loss in crop yield, and loss to infrastructure. The smallholder farmers who primarily depend on rainfed agriculture for a living bear major crop losses and threats to food security due to climate change. In order to enable the farmers to cope with the challenges associated with climate change, climate-smart agricultural (CSA) practices were introduced. It must be noted that CSA practices depend on economic, environmental, and social attributes; hence, location-specific studies are required to identify the determinants of CSA adoption. The present study aims to identify the factors influencing smallholder farmers’ adoption of CSA strategies in the highly vulnerable Nagaon district of India. Our study has incorporated six forms of capital: physical capital, social capital, human capital, financial capital, natural capital, and institutional capital in its analytical framework. The influence of these capitals is examined on the farmers’ adoption decision. We use a mixed-method approach to conduct the analysis. A multivariate probit model is used for the quantitative analysis, and excerpts from focus group discussions are presented as qualitative information gathered from field surveys. Three unique variables are included in the present study: the use of agricultural applications by smallholder farmers, the application of indigenous technical knowledge, and access to government-provided seeds. Each of the three variables was found to be statistically significant. Further, the study found the variables under social capital, physical capital, and institutional capital to be critical determinants affecting CSA adoption by smallholder farmers.

previous article Distributional impact of climate-smart villages on access to savings and credit and adoption of improved climate-smart agricultural practices in the Nyando Basin, Kenya

next article Climate-Smart Agriculture in South Asia: exploring practices, determinants, and contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Abegunde VO, Sibanda M, Obi A (2019) Determinants of the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices by small-scale farming households in King Cetshwayo District Municipality, South Africa. Sustainability 12(1):195. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010195CrossRef

Acevedo M, Pixley K, Zinyengere N, Meng S et al (2020) A scoping review of adoption of climate-resilient crops by small-scale producers in low-and middle-income countries. Nat Plants 6(10):1231–1241. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00783-zCrossRef

Akter A, Mwalupaso GE, Wang S, Jahan MS, Geng X (2023) Towards climate action at farm-level: distinguishing complements and substitutes among climate-smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) in flood prone areas. Clim Risk Manage 40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100491

Alarcón-Segura V, Roilo S, Paulus A, Beckmann M, Klein N, Cord AF (2023) Farm structure and environmental context drive farmers’ decisions on the spatial distribution of ecological focus areas in Germany. Landscape Ecol 38:1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-023-01709-8CrossRef

Amadu FO, McNamara PE, Miller DC (2020) Yield effects of climate-smart agriculture aid investment in southern Malawi. Food Policy 92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101869

Angom J, Viswanathan PK, Ramesh MV (2021) The dynamics of climate change adaptation in India: a review of climate smart agricultural practices among smallholder farmers in Aravalli district, Gujarat, India. Curr Res Environ Sustain 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsust.2021.100039

Antwi-Agyei P, Atta-Aidoo J, Asare-Nuamah P, Stringer LC, Antwi K (2023) Trade-offs, synergies and acceptability of climate smart agricultural practices by smallholder farmers in rural Ghana. Int J Agric Sustain 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14735903.2023.2193439

Aryal JP, Jat ML, Sapkota TB, Khatri-Chhetri A, Kassie M, Rahut DB, Maharjan S (2018) Adoption of multiple climate-smart agricultural practices in the Gangetic plains of Bihar, India. Int J Clim Change Strateg Manag 10(3):407–427. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-02-2017-0025CrossRef

Assam State Portal (2022) About districts. Retrieved from https://assam.gov.in/about-us/396. Accessed 18 July 2023

Bairagi S, Bhandari H, Das SK, Mohanty S (2021) Flood-tolerant rice improves climate resilience, profitability, and household consumption in Bangladesh. Food Policy 105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2021.102183

Barnes AP, Soto I, Eory V, Beck B et al (2019) Exploring the adoption of precision agricultural technologies: a cross regional study of EU farmers. Land Use Policy 80:163–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.10.004CrossRef

Baruah UD, Saikia A, Robeson SM, Mili N, Chand P (2021) Perceptions and adaptation behavior of farmers to climate change in the upper Brahmaputra Valley, India. Environ Dev Sustain 23(10):15529–15549. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01309-zCrossRef

Borah A, Devi S, Medhi M (2012) Impact of climate change on marginalized women - an exploratory study across 6 districts in Assam. Centre for Environment, Social and Policy Research (CESPR), and Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi (RGVN) with the Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change (INECC). Guwahati

Branca G, Perelli C (2020) ‘Clearing the air’: common drivers of climate-smart smallholder food production in Eastern and Southern Africa. J Clean Prod 270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121900

Chitakira M, Ngcobo, NZ (2021) Uptake of climate smart agriculture in peri-urban areas of South Africa’s economic hub requires up-scaling. Front Sustain Food Syst 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.706738

Datoon RF, Camacho JV, Lapitan AV, Gapas JM (2023) Bridging and bonding social capital for sustainable technology adoption, the Landcare program in the resource poor rural town of Claveria, Philippines. Res Glob 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resglo.2023.100152

FAO (2006) Module 2 Agrobiodiversity management from a sustainable livelihoods’ perspective. In Building on gender, agrobiodiversity and local knowledge: a training manual. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/3/y5956e/Y5956E04.htm. Accessed 19 Dec 2023

FAO (2009) How to feed the world in 2050. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/expert_paper/How_to_Feed_the_World_in_2050.pdf. Accessed 10 Apr 2023

FAO (2022) Climate-smart agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome. Retrieved from https://www.fao.org/climate-smart-agriculture/en/. Accessed 10 Apr 2023

Ferrer AJG, Thanh LH, Chuong PH et al (2023) Farming household adoption of climate-smart agricultural technologies: evidence from North-Central Vietnam. Asia-Pac J Reg Sci 641 – 663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41685-023-00296-5

Gars J, Ward PS (2019) Can differences in individual learning explain patterns of technology adoption? Evidence on heterogeneous learning patterns and hybrid rice adoption in Bihar, India. World Dev 115:178–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.11.014CrossRef

Government of India (2015a) Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. http://www.pgsindia-ncof.gov.in/. Accessed 6 Jan 2024

Government of India (2015b) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. http://pmksy.gov.in/. Accessed 6 Jan 2024

Government of India (2015c) Soil health card scheme. Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Government of India. https://soilhealth.dac.gov.in/. Accessed 6 Jan 2024

Government of India (2016) Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. https://pmfby.gov.in/. Accessed 6 Jan 2024

Government of India (2019) Land use statistics. Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture. https://eands.dacnet.nic.in/LUS_2019-20/. Accessed 15 Dec 2023

Gupta A, Pathak H (2016) Climate change and agriculture in India: a thematic report of National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change (NMSKCC) under National Action Plan on Climate Change. Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India, p 68

Gupta A, Ponticelli J, Tesei A (2022) Language barriers, technology adoption and productivity: evidence from agriculture in India. Working Paper 27192. National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w27192. Accessed 11 Jan 2024

Hasan MK, Desiere S, D’Haese M, Kumar L (2018) Impact of climate-smart agriculture adoption on the food security of coastal farmers in Bangladesh. Food Secur 10:1073–1088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-018-0824-1CrossRef

He X, Huang A, Yan J, Zhou H, Wu Y, Yang LE, Paudel B (2023) Smallholders’ climate change adaptation strategies on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Nat Hazards 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-06022-w

Ho TD, Tsusaka TW, Kuwornu JK, Datta A, Nguyen LT (2022) Do rice varieties matter? Climate change adaptation and livelihood diversification among rural smallholder households in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Change 27:1–33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-021-09978-xCrossRef

Huffman WE (2020) Human capital and adoption of innovations: policy implications. Appl Econ Perspect Policy 42(1):92–99. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13010CrossRef

INCCA (2010) Climate change and India: a 4 x 4 assessment—a sectoral and regional analysis for 2030. Ministry of Environment and Forests

Islam Z, Sabiha NE, Salim R (2022) Integrated environment-smart agricultural practices: a strategy towards climate-resilient agriculture. Econ Anal Policy 76:59–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.07.011CrossRef

Kangogo D, Dentoni D, Bijman J (2021) Adoption of climate‐smart agriculture among smallholder farmers: Does farmer entrepreneurship matter? Land Use Policy 109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105666

Kogo BK, Kumar L, Koech R, Hasan MK (2022) Response to climate change in a rain-fed crop production system: insights from maize farmers of western Kenya. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 27(8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-022-10023-8

Koirala P, Kotani K, Managi S (2022) How do farm size and perceptions matter for farmers’ adaptation responses to climate change in a developing country? Evidence from Nepal. Econ Anal Policy 74:188–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2022.01.014CrossRef

Kumar P, Naik A (2019) India’s domestic climate policy is fragmented and lacks clarity. Econ Polit Wkly 54(7). https://www.epw.in/engage/article/indias-domestic-climate-policy-fragmented-lacks-clarity. Accessed 11 Jan 2024

Kumar KN, Reddy MJ, Reddy KV, Paramesha V et al (2023) Determinants of climate change adaptation strategies in South India: empirical evidence. Front Sustain Food Syst 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1010527

Lipper L, Zilberman D (2018) A short history of the evolution of the climate smart agriculture approach and its links to climate change and sustainable agriculture debates. In: Lipper L, McCarthy N, Zilberman D, Asfaw S, Branca G (eds) Climate smart agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Policy 52. Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-61194-5_2CrossRef

Madhanagopal D, Jacob VA (2022) Climate risks in an unequal society: the question of climate justice in India. In: Madhanagopal D, Beer CT, Nikku BR, Pelser AJ (eds) Environment, climate, and social justice. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1987-9_9CrossRef

Mohanty A, Wadhawan S (2021) Mapping India’s climate vulnerability – a district level assessment, New Delhi: Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Retrieved from https://www.ceew.in/sites/default/files/ceew-study-on-climate-change-vulnerability-index-and-district-level-risk-assessment.pdf

Mthethwa KN, Ngidi MSC, Ojo TO, Hlatshwayo SI (2022) The determinants of adoption and intensity of climate-smart agricultural practices among smallholder maize farmers. Sustainability 14(24):16926. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416926CrossRef

Mutenje MJ, Farnworth CR, Stirling C, Thierfelder C, Mupangwa W, Nyagumbo I (2019) A cost-benefit analysis of climate-smart agriculture options in Southern Africa: balancing gender and technology. Ecol Econ 163:126–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.05.013CrossRef

Negera M, Alemu T, Hagos F, Haileslassie A (2022) Determinants of adoption of climate smart agricultural practices among farmers in Bale-Eco region, Ethiopia. Heliyon 8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09824

Newell P, Taylor O, Naess LO et al (2019) Climate smart agriculture? Governing the sustainable development goals in Sub-Saharan Africa. Front Sustain Food Syst 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2019.00055

Norton GW, Alwang J (2020) Changes in agricultural extension and implications for farmer adoption of new practices. Appl Econ Perspect Policy 42(1):8–20. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13008CrossRef

Nyasimi M, Radeny M, Kimeli P, Mungai C, Sayula G, Kinyangi J (2016) Uptake and dissemination pathways for climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices in Lushoto, Tanzania. CCAFS Working Paper No. 173. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10568/73374

Ouédraogo M, Houessionon P, Zougmoré RB, Partey ST (2019) Uptake of climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices: actual and potential adoption rates in the climate-smart village site of Mali. Sustainability 11(17):4710. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11174710CrossRef

Pannell DJ, Marshall GR, Barr N, Curtis A, Vanclay F, Wilkinson R (2006) Understanding and promoting adoption of conservation practices by rural landholders. Aust J Exp Agric 46(11):1407–1424. https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05037CrossRef

Parida BR, Oinam B (2015) Unprecedented drought in North East India compared to Western India. Curr Sci 109(11):2121–2126. https://doi.org/10.18520/vl09/il1/2121-2126CrossRef

Pereira L (2017) Climate change impacts on agriculture across Africa. In: Oxford research encyclopedia of environmental science. Oxford University Press, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.292

Prasad JVNS, Akila N, Bharathi CS, Alagudurai S, Rao R et al (2023) Assessment of adaptation practices for risk minimization to drought in semi-arid environments. Clim Risk Manag 42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2023.100563

Samuel J, Rao CAR, Raju BMK, Reddy AA et al (2022) Assessing the impact of climate resilient technologies in minimizing drought impacts on farm incomes in drylands. Sustainability 14(1):382. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010382CrossRef

Schimmelpfennig D, Ebel R (2016) Sequential adoption and cost savings from precision agriculture. J Agric Resour Econ 97–115. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/44131378

Soni A, Chatterjee A (2023) Not just income: the enabling role of institutional confidence and social capital in household energy transitions in India. Energy Res Soc Sci 98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2023.103020

Teklewold H, Kassie M, Shiferaw B, Köhlin G (2013) Cropping system diversification, conservation tillage and modern seed adoption in Ethiopia: impacts on household income, agrochemical use and demand for labor. Ecol Econ 93:85–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2013.05.002CrossRef

Tilahun G, Bantider A, Yayeh D (2023) Synergies and trade-offs of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices selected by smallholder farmers in Geshy watershed, Southwest Ethiopia. Reg Sustain 4(2):129–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2023.04.001CrossRef

Vatsa P, Ma W, Zheng H, Li J (2023) Climate-smart agricultural practices for promoting sustainable agrifood production: yield impacts and implications for food security. Food Policy 121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102551

Vera TS, Wiliams CE, Justin CO (2017) Understanding the factors affecting adoption of subpackages of CSA in Southern Malawi. Int J Agric Econ Ext 5(2):259–265

Vijayan I, Viswanathan PK (2018) India’s initiative on climate resilient agriculture: a preliminary assessment. Int J Pure Appl Math 118(9):491–497

Waaswa A, Nkurumwa AO, Kibe AM, Kipkemoi JN (2022) Climate-smart agriculture and potato production in Kenya: review of the determinants of practice. Climate Dev 14(1):75–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2021.1885336CrossRef

Weber C, McCann L (2015) Adoption of nitrogen-efficient technologies by US corn farmers. J Environ Qual 44(2):391–401. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2014.02.0089CrossRef

Weersink A, Fulton M (2020) Limits to profit maximization as a guide to behavior change. Appl Econ Perspect Policy 42(1):67–79. https://doi.org/10.1002/aepp.13004CrossRef

Zhou X, Ma W, Zheng H, Li J, Zhu H (2023) Promoting banana farmers’ adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices: the role of agricultural cooperatives. Clim Dev 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2023.2218333

Title: Effect of different forms of capital on the adoption of multiple climate-smart agriculture strategies by smallholder farmers in Assam, India
Authors: Jigyasa Sandilya
Kishor Goswami
Publication date: 01-04-2024
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change / Issue 4/2024
Print ISSN: 1381-2386
Electronic ISSN: 1573-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-024-10112-w

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Other articles of this Issue 4/2024

Effects of using climate-smart agricultural practices on factor demand and input substitution among smallholder rice farmers in Nigeria

Climate-Smart Agriculture in South Asia: exploring practices, determinants, and contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Distributional impact of climate-smart villages on access to savings and credit and adoption of improved climate-smart agricultural practices in the Nyando Basin, Kenya

Climate-smart agricultural practices for enhanced farm productivity, income, resilience, and greenhouse gas mitigation: a comprehensive review

Assessing compounding climate-related stresses and development pathways on the power sector in the central U.S.

Mitigating water pollution in a Portuguese river basin under climate change through agricultural sustainable practices