Water Policy (Feb 2022)
Determinants of farm-level adaptation strategies to flood: insights from a farm household-level survey in coastal districts of Odisha
Abstract
Farmers choose different strategies to cope with disasters. The scientific information on what adaption strategies do farmers across different socio-economic and regional strata choose to cope with disasters can help policymakers to make informed farm-level support interventions. Odisha is a flood-prone state in eastern India. The flood adaptation strategy choices of farmers in Odisha have not been much studied in the literature. Along with identifying the most commonly adopted ex ante and ex post adaptation strategies of farmers, we also identified the common factors influencing the choice of these adaptation strategies. We used the Likert scale and the ordered probit model to analyse the primary data collected from the field survey conducted at the three selected coastal districts. It finds that migration, reduction in food consumption, and pest and disease management are the most common ex post strategies, whereas stocking of foodgrains and usage of flood-resistant seeds are the most common ex ante strategies adopted by the farmers. It also identifies that education, family size and the size of landholding are the main determinants of ex post adaptation strategies, whereas age, the size of landholding and family income are the major determinants of ex ante coping strategies. HIGHLIGHTS The paper discusses the determinants of both ex-ante and ex-post adaptation strategies among the sample farmers in the three coastal districts of Odisha.; The Likert scale technique shows that migration, reduction in food consumption, and pest and disease management are the most common ex post strategies, whereas stocking of food grains and usage of flood-resistant seeds are the most common ex ante strategies adopted by the farmers.; Ordered probit result shows that socio-economic characteristics, namely, respondent's age, size of landholding and natural log of farm income were the common determinants of ex ante coping strategies among the farming households. On the other hand, family size, education and the size of landholding were found to be the common determinants of ex post strategies of migration and reduction of food consumption.; Regional variation at the district level was also found to be a major determinant of adaptive strategies among the farming households.; Such empirical study highlights the necessity for government investment in scientific modelling for early warning, awareness, and possible adaptive mechanisms that help farmers deal with natural disasters.;
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