Perceptions of climate variability and livelihood adaptations relating to gender and wealth among the Adi community of the Eastern Indian Himalayas |
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| Institution: | 1. College of Horticulture & Forestry, Central Agricultural University, Pasighat, 791102, Arunachal Pradesh, India;2. ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, 132001, Haryana, India;3. The Northern Institute, Charles Darwin University, Australia;4. Village Sibut, Pasighat, 791102, East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh, India;5. Village GTC Colony, Pasighat, East Siang, 791102, Arunachal Pradesh, India;6. Doying Gumin College, Pasighat, East Siang, 791102, Arunachal Pradesh, India;7. Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Australia;1. Department of Natural Resources, TERI University, New Delhi, 110070, India;2. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India;1. ICFRE, Dehradun, India;2. JNU, New Delhi, India;3. Victoria University of Wellington, Climate Change Research Institute, New Zealand;4. Lab. of Landscape Ecology, Dept. of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy;1. College of Environment and Planning/Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions/Key Research Institute of Yellow River Civilization and Sustainable Development & Collaborative Innovation Center on Yellow River Civilization of Henan Province, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, P.R. China;2. Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, P.R. China;3. Department of Geography, Kent State University, Kent 44242, USA;4. Department of Geography & Geology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville 77340, USA |
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| Abstract: | The impacts of extreme weather events and climate variability on natural resource dependent farmers will further increase their vulnerability. This study describes how Adi farmers in Arunachal Pradesh (India) perceive and adapt to climate variability, and how this is influenced by gender and wealth. A total of 65 male and 71 female Adi farmers were interviewed or participated in focus group discussions. Both men and women have noticed there are fewer rainy days, longer summers, shorter winters and more erratic rainfall. However, some perceptions of change were gender and/or wealth class specific. Adi women noticed changes across areas they control including collecting forest foods, crop harvesting, and fermenting and storing of food. Men noted climate variability had made hunting wild game and marketing agricultural produce more difficult. Wealthy people were better placed to adapt to climate variability than poorer people because they could intensify their production systems. They switched to rainfed maize with improved varieties and horticultural cash crops which need more costly inputs. Wealthy people, particularly men, also received more advice and training than poorer people. Poorer farmers, particularly poor women, adapted predominantly by diversifying activities, such as using drought tolerant oil seeds and subsistence horticultural crops, accessing forest-based resources, rearing pigs and poultry, increasing fishing and the making of handicrafts. Storage, exchange and pooling of local resources were further strategies of the poor. This deeper understanding of Adi livelihood adaptation strategies will help increase their resilience by improving targeting of location specific extension services and adaptation policies. |
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| Keywords: | Arunachal Pradesh East Siang Perceived climate variability Livelihood portfolios and risks Gender and autonomous adaptation |
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