Coping with Climate Change Using Climate-Resilient Technology in Rainfed Areas

Climate change poses critical challenges for agriculture in developing countries like India, where a large share of the population depends on farming for livelihoods and food security. With over 80% of agricultural land rainfed and more than 60% of available groundwater dedicated to agriculture, there's a pressing need for water-saving practices to counter groundwater overexploitation. This study, focused on Maharashtra, examines the World Bank–aided Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (PoCRA), which aims to improve climate resilience and farm production in drought-prone villages across 16 districts, primarily in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

PoCRA introduces climate-smart technologies at the farm and micro-watershed level — soil and water management, micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler), cropping pattern diversification, Broad Bed Furrow and zero-tillage practices, climate-resilient seed production, and farmer capacity building — targeted at small landholders for drought-proofing. The study found these interventions, especially the micro-irrigation component, meaningfully improved soil health, water security, and crop diversification, and that climate-resilient technologies were adopted widely because they're cost-effective and location-specific — underscoring how necessary this kind of practice is for the sector to hold up under continued climate change.