Climate change

This paper is part of the author's PhD work  submitted to the Centre for Studies in Science Policy Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.  The author would like to thank the reviewers for their comments, Rohan D’Souza, Saradindu Bhaduri and Ambuj Sagar as also the Centre for Social Markets, Coffee Board of India, Karnataka Growers’ Federation, Hassan District Planters’ Association, United Planters’ Association of Southern India and Karnataka Planters’ Association for their help in the field.  

Mainstreaming climate concerns in cross-sectoral planning and teamwork among neighbouring states in the Indian Himalayan Region are persistent hurdles in addressing climate adaptation at the state and regional levels. The authors propose interstate cooperation facilitation through a specific knowledge network, decentralised and coordinated approach for capacity building, joint adaptation project formulation and implementation, high-level coordination mechanism, and the creation of an adaptation portal as a novel way forward.

Although the construction of farm ponds is portrayed as a miracle strategy by the state and central government as well as popular media, the manner of its implementation and practice in arid and semi-arid regions of Maharashtra is a cause for worry. Farmers extract a huge amount of groundwater to store in large-sized farm ponds. The need of the hour is to appropriately regulate farm pond practices in the state.

An ecosystem helps or hinders the livelihood of the people depending on it. Satabhaya is a village in the coastal belt of Odisha of Bhitarkanika National Park which depends heavily on the forest ecosystem for survival and at the same time the ecosystem is engulfing the village to the point of extinction. This article describes how they struggle to survive in this fragile ecosystem.