Farmers’ perception, adaptation to groundwater salinity, and climate change vulnerability: insights from North India

Author(s):  
Susmita Mitra ◽  
Pradeep K. Mehta ◽  
Sudipta Kumar Mishra

AbstractGroundwater salinity, caused by over-extraction and aggravated by climate change, negatively affects crop productivity and threatens global food security. Poor farmers are vulnerable due to low adaptive capacity. A better understanding of their perceptions and adaptation is important to inform policies for successful adaptation. This paper represents an important study by exploring the same in Mewat, a salinity-affected socioeconomically backward district of northern India. The study uses a mixed-method approach with both secondary data and a primary survey of 250 farmers. A large number of farmers perceived negative impacts on water, crop, income, and assets; and adapt in various ways like water management, crop, and land management, livelihood diversification, and shift towards surface water irrigation. Perceived impacts differed between richer and poorer farmers, whereas adaptation measures varied across the educational, social, and economic backgrounds of farmers. Lack of awareness, education, skill development, and livelihood-opportunities are found to be hindrances, whereas institutional and infrastructural support as facilitators of adaptation. Comparing the findings with global experiences we argued that developed countries intervene more in the policy level and infrastructure, whereas in developing countries, adaptation strategies are local, context-specific, and low-cost. The insights from our study will be useful for intervention in Mewat and similar areas across the developing world. We further argue that farmers take adaptation decisions based on perceived impacts and cost-benefit analysis. Therefore, future research work on quantifying the negative impacts and cost-benefit analysis of various adaptation measures will be useful to ensure successful adaptation in the region and beyond.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. 1950014
Author(s):  
AMBIKA MARKANDAY ◽  
IBON GALARRAGA ◽  
ANIL MARKANDYA

This study systematically reviews the scientific literature ([Formula: see text]) on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of adaptation measures in cities and similar urban environments. The review is conducted to assess existing or proposed actions for dealing with impacts of drought, heat waves, sea-level rise, and pluvial and fluvial flooding. It includes over 30 measures related to structural, services, technological, informational and ecosystem-based approaches. The main findings demonstrate that CBA of adaptation measures across urban environments must contend with numerous long-term socioeconomic and climate change uncertainties. Subsequently, this has led to inconsistencies in valuation frameworks related to, for example, planning horizons, discount rates, non-market considerations and future scenarios. Results also indicate a clear gap in the literature on the economic valuation of adaptation measures in the Global South. Furthermore, few studies integrate equity dimensions while planning for adaptation. Extensions of CBA to account for key uncertainties will help policy makers to allocate (often scarce) resources more efficiently and limit the likelihood of maladaptation. Further inclusion of the magnitude and distributional effects of non-market impacts and greater civil society engagement in policy dialogues will also be vital for promoting just and equitable measures that balance adaptation alongside other policy goals such as mitigation, economic development, health and well-being.


2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Michael Nolan

This paper explores the lessons learnt from the Optimising Adaptation Investment projects for the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency–it includes coastal settlements, water supply and rail infrastructure case studies. These projects are the first of their kind in Australia and are considered internationally as a leading example of economic cost benefit analysis. They have been used effectively to inform decision making on specific adaptation responses to climate change risks to existing and new infrastructure. The lessons learnt will be explored for offshore platforms, ports, rail, road, drainage, tailings dams, mine facilities, water, and power supply, which includes the following elements: What decision makers require to make informed decisions under the uncertainty of climate change impacts. Reducing the uncertainty through economic modelling and cost benefit analysis. Optimising the right timing and scale of various adaptation options. Benefiting from oil and gas infrastructure adaptation opportunities. To further support the elements above, the applied process for integrating climate adaptation into infrastructure planning, design and operation will be illustrated by AECOM project experiences. AECOM has completed more than 60 significant climate change risk and adaptation projects for mines, ports, water supply and treatment, energy generation, transmission and distribution, rail, road, and coastal settlements in Australia, including the report: Climate Change Impacts to Infrastructure in Australia for the Garnaut Climate Change Review.


2020 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 100147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars T. de Ruig ◽  
Toon Haer ◽  
Hans de Moel ◽  
W.J.Wouter Botzen ◽  
Jeroen C.J.H. Aerts

Author(s):  
Daniel Johnson ◽  
Linda See ◽  
Sandro M Oswald ◽  
Gundula Prokop ◽  
Tamás Krisztin

Urban heat islands are an increasing concern even in small- to medium-sized cities, although these areas are still understudied especially in terms of the economic feasibility of adaptation options. This paper uses adaptation scenarios produced by an urban climate model as inputs to a social cost–benefit analysis in three small- to medium-sized cities in Austria: Mödling, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg. The adaptation scenarios, which consider measures such as increasing the reflectivity of different sealed surfaces (referred to as the White City scenario) as well as greening measures (i.e. the Green City scenario), show decreases in the number of hot days (Tmax ≥30°C) when implemented. Benefits include reductions in heat-related mortality, which are modeled based on trends of daily mortality and climate data, reduced morbidity, productivity loss, and numerous urban ecosystem services. The results demonstrate favorable benefit–cost ratios of a combination of measures (White and Green City) of 1.27, 1.36, and 2.68 for Mödling, Klagenfurt, and Salzburg, respectively, indicating positive economic grounds for supporting policies in line with the adaptation scenarios. Furthermore, results of the Green City vs. White City showed higher benefits for the combined and Green City scenarios despite higher costs for each of the cities.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Lantz ◽  
Galen McMonagle ◽  
Chris Hennigar ◽  
Chinmay Sharma ◽  
Patrick Withey ◽  
...  

Abstract Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on forests by affecting the successional dynamics of tree species and the performance of plantations, among others. Research is needed to better understand how these factors will affect forests and economies in different regions, and how we can best adapt. To shed some light on these issues, we couple an economic (Computable General Equilibrium) model with a forest management (Woodstock) model to analyze the potential climate change impacts and adaptation options on timber supply and the economy over the 2015-95 period in a case-study province of New Brunswick, Canada. We estimate that climate change may have relatively large negative impacts on softwood timber supply (at 26% by 2095), softwood forestry & logging sector output quantity (at 12% by 2095), and softwood-dependent forestry manufacturing sector output (ranging from 6% to 27% by 2095). Negative impacts on GDP may be relatively smaller (at up to a 0.33% reduction by 2095). Adapting to these climate-related changes by planting drought-resistant softwood seedlings or hardwood seedlings in place of failed softwood plantations can reduce these negative impacts. While the former adaptation option is supported using cost-benefit analysis, the latter is not – due to the large incremental costs of growing, planting, and tending hardwood seedlings. Methods developed in this study can be applied in other regions to help guide decision-making around forest management in the face of a changing climate.


New Medit ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-104
Author(s):  
Hamed Daly-Hassen ◽  
Mohamed Annabi ◽  
Caroline King-Okumu

Climate change exacerbates the effects of water scarcity on livelihoods. Governments can intervene by structuring incentives for agricultural adaptations so that farmers can choose the ones that create more benefits for the society as a whole. This requires consideration of a range of different benefits to different groups within the social cost-benefit analysis (CBA). We assess the social and private profitability of two alternative tree-based adaptation techniques that have received state support in the traditional barley cropping/rangeland systems in Central Tunisia: olive tree plantation, and intercropping with cactus. The results showed that society does not benefit from offering incentives for olive production. The production of irrigated olive trees without incentives is profitable for farmers and for society, while rainfed plantation is not profitable at all. However, it is possible for farmers to increase their incomes without increasing agricultural water use if they are encouraged to adopt intercropping with cactus to supplement livestock food and watering. The findings highlight scope for policies to balance between returns both for society, and for farmers, as revealed through the application of quantitative social CBA.


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