About the Project

The project is a scoping study which would assess the perceptions of stakeholders, especially small and marginal farmers, about the need for financial and technological measures based on intra-regional/international cooperation for mitigating the adverse impact of climate change on food security

Climate change affects agricultural yield in tropical countries, such as the South Asian countries of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan in two major ways -- a reduction in the length of the growing season; and increase/unanticipated change in the frequency/geographical incidence of floods and droughts which leads to both destruction of crops and reduction in cropped area. The intensity and nature of climate change impacts vary from one country to another and even in the same country from one region to another. Nevertheless, this has a negative effect on small farmers who are net producers (reducing their means of livelihood) as well as subsistence farmers who are net consumers of food grains (by forcing them to buy more from the market, at a per unit price which rises over time because of the mentioned negative impact on yields, to satisfy their needs). Such farmers, being close to the poverty line, face the risk of falling below the poverty line from a non-poor situation or suffering an intensification of poverty.

The long term objective of the study is to help tackle food insecurity and livelihood threats in South Asia caused by declining crop yields resulting from climate change and other factors through change in cultivation practices and appropriate measures to facilitate food banks

The one year long study (January to December 2010) covers four countries in its scope – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. For the purpose of carrying out project activities, in each of the four project countries one local partner will be identified and engaged to support CUTS in undertaking a survey of farmers and facilitate survey of other stakeholders such as grassroots rural non-governmental organisations (NGOs), research and extension agencies, as well as agronomists and rural sociologists.