Assessment of people's perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

A study based on farm household survey was conducted in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh to gain insights on people s perceptions and adaptations to climate change and variability. Results of the study indicated that 88.9 % of people perceived rise in temperature of the region while 88.4 % perceived a decreasing trend in amount of rainfall. People s perceptions for both maximum temperature and rainfall were in accordance with results of linear regression analysis of weather data of the period from 1995- 2011 collected from meteorological station in the region. In mid hills people have started responding to climate variability particularly to rising temperature and decreasing and uncertain rainfall by shifting to other crops, varieties, early planting and other cultural measures. Limited knowledge on adaptation measures, lack of access to early warning information, unreliability of seasonal forecast and high cost of adaptation were the main barriers to adaptations in the region. Further, the study identified education of the household head, farming experience, off farm income, access to credit and extension services as factors that enhance adaptive capacity to climate change in the area. Therefore, the study indicated a need for formulating policies to address these factors.