ANNOUNCEMENTS
Climate change poses significant challenges to smallholder rice farmers in Assam, who are disproportionately affected by floods, erratic rainfall patterns, droughts, and temperature variability. These climatic stressors threaten agricultural productivity, household food security, and rural livelihoods. While several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are engaged in supporting climate adaptation at the grassroots level, the lack of a standardized, locally contextualized risk assessment framework limits the effectiveness and scalability of their interventions.
This study aims to develop a Climate-Resilient Agriculture (CRA) Toolkit to support NGOs in identifying and addressing climate vulnerabilities among smallholder rice farmers in Assam. Guided by the IPCC AR5 framework, the research assesses district-level variations in hazard, exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity across four selected districts—Dhemaji, Morigaon, Golaghat, and Nalbari. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining secondary data analysis with primary insights gathered through telephonic farmer surveys and interviews with NGO practitioners.
The findings reveal considerable inter-district variability in climate risk, with Dhemaji and Morigaon emerging as the most vulnerable due to high hazard exposure and low adaptive capacity. The resulting toolkit integrates both quantitative indicators and qualitative narratives to enable NGOs to conduct field-level risk assessments and design targeted, evidence-based adaptation strategies. By offering a CRA toolkit, this study aims contributes to enhancing climate resilience in Assam’s agricultural systems.”
Keywords: Climate Resilient Agriculture, Climate Risk Assessment, Small & Marginal Farmers, IPCC AR5 Framework, CRA Toolkit.
