Adaptation of small scale farmers to climatic risks in India - Sustainet

years, but what it is certain that the rains are not that regularly distributed anymore. We get more heavy
rainfall, which is a big problem especially for our fields located on hill slopes. The fertile soils are getting
washed away and what remains is barely suitable for crop production.”
As water in Orissa’s tribal belt traditionally used to be an abundant resource, fewer efforts to collect and
store rain water have been made in this area. This could eventually create problems when rainfall
patterns are altered by a changing climate. More erratic and heavy rainfall, causing more run off could
eventually lead to dry spells and water scarcity even in this rainfall abundant area.
5.4 Promising adaptation strategies of small-scale farmers
Common adaptation measures include diversifying crops, planting different crops or crop varieties,
replacing farm activities with nonfarm activities, changing planting and harvesting dates, and increasing
the use of water and soil conservation techniques. Some important adaptation strategies that farmers
are practicing in the tribal belt of Rayagada district are as follows:
5.4.1 Tribal farming systems: crop diversification and traditional varieties
Over the centuries, tribal communities have developed complex, diverse and locally adapted
agricultural systems (Table 11). Maybe the strongest feature of the tribal agriculture is the large
varieties of different crops and crop-species preserved by the local farmers. The traditional farming
systems are based on plant diversity in the form of poly cultures and/or agro forestry patterns and
therefore comprise a high degree of biodiversity. This diversity of varieties offers an inherent adaptive
capacity in the sense that farmers are independent from external inputs of seeds and their crops are
well adapted to the local growing conditions.
Each of the varieties is specially adapted to a certain growing area and period. Farmers cultivate
several varieties of short duration and long duration upland paddy, especially suited to grow on the
middle region slopes. They also grow some of the most exquisite varieties of scented rice, the most
famous amongst them being ‘Kala Jeera’ so called because the paddy is black in colour before being
de-husked. Apart from this, they have short and long duration varieties of Ragi and the less common
millets, including fox tail millet, pearl millet, sorghum, and others. The same is true for pulses: Several
varieties of broad bean, arhar, cow pea, rice bean, urad, and a local variety commonly called 'Baeil' are
grown at different altitudes of the hill slopes.
Table 8: Traditional bio-diverse agriculture system in the tribal belt (Rayagada dist.) of Orissa
Land category Crops
Upland Millets, pulses, oilseeds, upland paddy
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