Farm women's adaptation to climate change: A technology adoption study in northern Odisha

Abstract

Indian agriculture is vulnerable to the adverse impact of climate change due to poor socio-economic and demographic adversaries. Climate change effects have heightened existing gender disparities by contributing to greater vulnerability. The adaptation and coping mechanisms to climate change are critical in developing countries like India. Keeping in view these issues, the present study was carried out on farm women's perceptions, adaptation of improved technologies in Keonjhar district of Odisha. Two hundred farm women were selected covering 20 villages from seven minor irrigation projects (MIPs) in three blocks of Keonjhar district. Majority of the farm women were found to have medium (84.5%) adoption. Among different technologies, maximum adoption was observed for adapted cultivars with an adoption index of 86.7. The output of regression model demonstrated that the age of farm women has a negative association with technology adoption. The impact of skill development on technology adoption had a significant positive (0.17) association with its adoption. Pre and post project yield of crops manifested greater difference and increase in crop yields of beneficiaries' farmers over years was found significant. An increase in average yield for rice; maize, ragi and groundnut with yield of 40.50, 26.38, 12.55, 13.44, 2.73, 3.34 and 10.46 q ha-1, respectively in comparison to pre-project yield.