Global Patterns of Climate-resilient Agriculture: A Review of Studies and Imperatives for Empirical Research in India

Abstract

Globally, climate change impacts are manifold, severely affecting the agriculture sector. Climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) is viewed as a panacea for overcoming the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. This article critically reviews the literature on CRA to delineate the emerging patterns of climate-resilient agriculture. It explores multiple dimensions of CRA as related to practices, technologies, policies, innovations and interventions across different parts of the world. In the end, a schematic approach towards undertaking empirical research on CRA in the Indian context is presented. The review finds that, globally, CRA practices mainly include systematic strategies for management of critical inputs, namely, land and water, cropping systems and livelihood management. It emerges that innovations and institutions have a crucial role in accelerating the rate of adoption of CRA practices. The article highlights the need for undertaking more empirical research to get a deeper understanding of the emerging patterns of CRA in the Indian context.