ANNOUNCEMENTS
Climate risk and vulnerability have become major world agendas, especially in the context of the fast-rising impacts of climate change. Climatic pattern changes marked by the elevated occurrence of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and changes in temperature and precipitation are of overriding threats to ecosystems, human settlements, and economic infrastructure. Of special concern is the agricultural sector, which is highly susceptible to climatic factors and vital in maintaining food security and livelihood, especially in developing regions.
The objective of this study is to conduct an analysis at the district level between vulnerabilities and climate hazards, specifically on agriculture and the specific effect on crops. Vulnerability, in this instance, is understood as the product of three inherent factors: exposure to climatic hazards (e.g., heatwaves, floods, and droughts), sensitivity (which encompasses factors like the crop type, soil, and irrigation dependency), and adaptive capacity (which encompasses institutional support, access to technology, and socio-economic resilience). It is important to understand the interaction between these factors so as to identify areas at increased risk.
The study will use different scenarios to simulate future climate projections. Using these scenarios, the study will simulate potential climate effects on major farming crops like rice, wheat, and pulses. This will account for spatial differences in vulnerability and identify the most vulnerable states and districts. The aim is to offer policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders a region-specific, data-based method for adjusting climate risk. By characterizing vulnerable regions and crops, the research aims to assist in the development of targeted adaptation plans, enhance climate-resilient agriculture, and ultimately increase the resilience and sustainability of rural livelihoods in a changing climate.
Agriculture is inseparably linked with climate and is therefore highly vulnerable to long-term temperature, rainfall pattern, and frequency of extreme weather events. These changes in climatic seasons—droughts, floods, and heatwaves—pose critical risks to crop and animal production systems with uneven regional effects. Marginal gains occur in certain areas, while many others witness falling productivity due to imbalanced growing seasons, water scarcity, and soil loss. In addition to jeopardizing food production and price affordability, these impacts contribute to overall food insecurity and socio-economic instability, particularly in rural areas. The scale of these challenges varies in India's highly diversified agro-climatic regions, and farmers respond through a range of locally specific adaptations depending upon their economic and institutional endowments.
Keywords: Climate Risk, Climate Hazard, Normalized Vulnerability Index (NVI), Vulnerability, DICE Model. Agriculture, Crops.
