IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/iwt/jounls/h051087.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Quantifying farm household resilience and the implications of livelihood heterogeneity in the semi-arid tropics of India

Author

Listed:
  • Ramilan, T.
  • Kumar, S.
  • Haileslassie, Amare
  • Craufurd, P.
  • Scrimgeour, F.
  • Kattarkandi, B.
  • Whitbread, A.

Abstract

The vast majority of farmers in the drylands are resource-poor smallholders, whose livelihoods depend heavily on their farming systems. Therefore, increasing the resilience of these smallholders is vital for their prosperity. This study quantified household resilience and identified livelihoods and their influence on resilience in the semiarid tropics of India by analysing 684 households. A resilience capacity index was devised based on the composition of household food and non-food expenditure, cash savings, and food and feed reserves. The index ranged from 8.4 reflecting highly resilient households with access to irrigation characteristics, to -3.7 for households with highly limited resilience and low household assets. The livelihoods were identified through multivariate analysis on selected socioeconomic and biophysical variables; households were heterogeneous in their livelihoods. Irrigated livestock and rainfed marginal types had the highest and lowest resilience capacity index with the mean score of 0.69 and -1.07, respectively. Finally, we quantified the influence of livelihood strategies on household resilience. Household resilience was strengthened by the possession of livestock, crop diversification and access to irrigation. Low resilience is predominantly caused by low household assets. The resilience capacity index and derived livelihood strategies helps to understand the complexity of household resilience, and will aid in targeting technology interventions for development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramilan, T. & Kumar, S. & Haileslassie, Amare & Craufurd, P. & Scrimgeour, F. & Kattarkandi, B. & Whitbread, A., 2022. "Quantifying farm household resilience and the implications of livelihood heterogeneity in the semi-arid tropics of India," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-12(4):466.
    • Handle: RePEc:iwt:jounls:h051087
    DOI: 10.3390/agriculture12040466
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/12/4/466/pdf?version=1648435207
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.3390/agriculture12040466?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abera Demeke & Alwin Keil & Manfred Zeller, 2011. "Using panel data to estimate the effect of rainfall shocks on smallholders food security and vulnerability in rural Ethiopia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 108(1), pages 185-206, September.
    2. So Pyay Thar & Robert J. Farquharson & Thiagarajah Ramilan & Sam Coggins & Deli Chen, 2021. "Recommended vs. Practice: Smallholder Fertilizer Decisions in Central Myanmar," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-20, January.
    3. Glwadys A. Gbetibouo & Claudia Ringler & Rashid Hassan, 2010. "Vulnerability of the South African farming sector to climate change and variability: An indicator approach," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34(3), pages 175-187, August.
    4. Landais, E., 1998. "Modelling farm diversity: new approaches to typology building in France," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 505-527, December.
    5. Rota, Antonio & Urbani, Ilaria, 2021. "IFAD Advantage Series: The small livestock advantage: A sustainable entry point for addressing SDGs in rural areas," IFAD Advantage Series 309360, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    6. Amogne Asfaw & Belay Simane & Amare Bantider & Ali Hassen, 2019. "Determinants in the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies: evidence from rainfed-dependent smallholder farmers in north-central Ethiopia (Woleka sub-basin)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(5), pages 2535-2565, October.
    7. Valentin Todorov & Matthias Templ & Peter Filzmoser, 2011. "Detection of multivariate outliers in business survey data with incomplete information," Advances in Data Analysis and Classification, Springer;German Classification Society - Gesellschaft für Klassifikation (GfKl);Japanese Classification Society (JCS);Classification and Data Analysis Group of the Italian Statistical Society (CLADAG);International Federation of Classification Societies (IFCS), vol. 5(1), pages 37-56, April.
    8. Kumar, Shalander & Mishra, Ashok K. & Pramanik, Soumitra & Mamidanna, Sravya & Whitbread, Anthony, 2020. "Climate risk, vulnerability and resilience: Supporting livelihood of smallholders in semiarid India," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    9. Kobrich, C. & Rehman, T. & Khan, M., 2003. "Typification of farming systems for constructing representative farm models: two illustrations of the application of multi-variate analyses in Chile and Pakistan," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 141-157, April.
    10. Deon Filmer & Lant Pritchett, 2001. "Estimating Wealth Effects Without Expenditure Data—Or Tears: An Application To Educational Enrollments In States Of India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 38(1), pages 115-132, February.
    11. Nosha Nahid & Farhad Lashgarara & Seyed Jamal Farajolah Hosseini & Seyed Mehdi Mirdamadi & Kurosh Rezaei-Moghaddam, 2021. "Determining the Resilience of Rural Households to Food Insecurity during Drought Conditions in Fars Province, Iran," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-13, July.
    12. Maru, H. & Haileslassie, Amare & Zeleke, T. & Esayas, B., 2021. "Analysis of smallholders’ livelihood vulnerability to drought across agroecology and farm typology in the Upper Awash Sub-basin, Ethiopia," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-13(17):97.
    13. J. Bidogeza & P. Berentsen & J. Graaff & A. Oude Lansink, 2009. "A typology of farm households for the Umutara Province in Rwanda," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 1(3), pages 321-335, September.
    14. Waithaka, M.M. & Thornton, P.K. & Herrero, M. & Shepherd, K.D., 2006. "Bio-economic evaluation of farmers' perceptions of viable farms in western Kenya," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 90(1-3), pages 243-271, October.
    15. Adiqa Kausar Kiani & Asif Sardar & Wasim Ullah Khan & Yigang He & Abdulbaki Bilgic & Yasemin Kuslu & Muhammad Asif Zahoor Raja, 2021. "Role of Agricultural Diversification in Improving Resilience to Climate Change: An Empirical Analysis with Gaussian Paradigm," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-15, August.
    16. Tittonell, P. & Muriuki, A. & Shepherd, K.D. & Mugendi, D. & Kaizzi, K.C. & Okeyo, J. & Verchot, L. & Coe, R. & Vanlauwe, B., 2010. "The diversity of rural livelihoods and their influence on soil fertility in agricultural systems of East Africa - A typology of smallholder farms," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 103(2), pages 83-97, February.
    17. Alary, V. & Messad, S. & Aboul-Naga, A. & Osman, M.A. & Daoud, I. & Bonnet, P. & Juanes, X. & Tourrand, J.F., 2014. "Livelihood strategies and the role of livestock in the processes of adaptation to drought in the Coastal Zone of Western Desert (Egypt)," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 44-54.
    18. Husen Maru & Amare Haileslassie & Tesfaye Zeleke & Befikadu Esayas, 2021. "Analysis of Smallholders’ Livelihood Vulnerability to Drought across Agroecology and Farm Typology in the Upper Awash Sub-Basin, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-28, August.
    19. Seo, Niggol & Mendelsohn, Robert, 2007. "A Ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on Latin American farms," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4163, The World Bank.
    20. Deepti Singh & Michael Tsiang & Bala Rajaratnam & Noah S. Diffenbaugh, 2014. "Observed changes in extreme wet and dry spells during the South Asian summer monsoon season," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(6), pages 456-461, June.
    21. Johannes Woelcke, 2006. "Technological and policy options for sustainable agricultural intensification in eastern Uganda," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 34(2), pages 129-139, March.
    22. Shanta Paudel Khatiwada & Wei Deng & Bikash Paudel & Janak Raj Khatiwada & Jifei Zhang & Yi Su, 2017. "Household Livelihood Strategies and Implication for Poverty Reduction in Rural Areas of Central Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, April.
    23. Burney, Jennifer A. & Naylor, Rosamond L., 2012. "Smallholder Irrigation as a Poverty Alleviation Tool in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 110-123.
    24. Glwadys A. Gbetibouo & Claudia Ringler & Rashid Hassan, 2010. "Vulnerability of the South African farming sector to climate change and variability: An indicator approach," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 34, pages 175-187, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Alejandro Cleves & Eva Youkhana & Javier Toro, 2022. "A Method to Assess Agroecosystem Resilience to Climate Variability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-26, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pienaar, Louw & Traub, Lulama, 2015. "Understanding the smallholder farmer in South Africa: Towards a sustainable livelihoods classification," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 212633, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Stylianou, Andreas & Sdrali, Despina & Apostolopoulos, Constantinos D., 2020. "Capturing the diversity of Mediterranean farming systems prior to their sustainability assessment: The case of Cyprus," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    3. So Pyay Thar & Thiagarajah Ramilan & Robert J. Farquharson & Deli Chen, 2021. "Identifying Potential for Decision Support Tools through Farm Systems Typology Analysis Coupled with Participatory Research: A Case for Smallholder Farmers in Myanmar," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Fatmir Guri & Ilir Kapaj & Bahri Musabelliu & Maksim Meço & Eneida Topulli & Remzi Keco & Natasha Hodaj & Shpresim Domi & Gentjan Mehmeti & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2015. "Characteristics of farming systems in Albania," JRC Research Reports JRC95833, Joint Research Centre.
    5. Rupak Goswami & Soumitra Chatterjee & Binoy Prasad, 2014. "Farm types and their economic characterization in complex agro-ecosystems for informed extension intervention: study from coastal West Bengal, India," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-24, December.
    6. Upadhaya, Suraj & G. Arbuckle, J. & Schulte, Lisa A., 2023. "Farmer typologies integrating latent and observed characteristics: Insights for soil and water conservation outreach," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    7. Zhengjie Zhang & Jiahao Song & Caixia Yan & Dingde Xu & Wei Wang, 2022. "Rural Household Differentiation and Poverty Vulnerability: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Field Survey in Hubei, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-15, April.
    8. Robert Becker Pickson & Ge He, 2021. "Smallholder Farmers’ Perceptions, Adaptation Constraints, and Determinants of Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change in Chengdu," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, July.
    9. Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary & Smita Sirohi, 2022. "Understanding vulnerability of agricultural production system to climatic stressors in North Indian Plains: a meso-analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(12), pages 13522-13541, December.
    10. Clifton Makate & Marshall Makate & Nelson Mango, 2019. "Wealth-related inequalities in adoption of drought-tolerant maize and conservation agriculture in Zimbabwe," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(4), pages 881-896, August.
    11. Bisrat Haile Gebrekidan & Thomas Heckelei & Sebastian Rasch, 2020. "Characterizing Farmers and Farming System in Kilombero Valley Floodplain, Tanzania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-21, August.
    12. Tittonell, Pablo, 2014. "Livelihood strategies, resilience and transformability in African agroecosystems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 3-14.
    13. Priyanka Singh & Mini Goyal & Bishwa Bhaskar Choudhary, 2022. "How sustainable is food system in India? mapping evidence from the state of Punjab," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(12), pages 14348-14374, December.
    14. Komarek, Adam M. & McDonald, Cam K. & Bell, Lindsay W. & Whish, Jeremy P.M. & Robertson, Michael J. & MacLeod, Neil D. & Bellotti, William D., 2012. "Whole-farm effects of livestock intensification in smallholder systems in Gansu, China," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 16-24.
    15. Cortez-Arriola, José & Rossing, Walter A.H. & Massiotti, Ricardo D. Améndola & Scholberg, Johannes M.S. & Groot, Jeroen C.J. & Tittonell, Pablo, 2015. "Leverages for on-farm innovation from farm typologies? An illustration for family-based dairy farms in north-west Michoacán, Mexico," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 66-76.
    16. Emtage, Nicholas & Herbohn, John, 2012. "Assessing rural landholders diversity in the Wet Tropics region of Queensland, Australia in relation to natural resource management programs: A market segmentation approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 107-118.
    17. Abdollahzadeh, Gholamhossein & Sharifzadeh, Mohammad Sharif & Sklenička, Petr & Azadi, Hossein, 2023. "Adaptive capacity of farming systems to climate change in Iran: Application of composite index approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    18. Benjamin Bathfield & Pierre Gasselin & Rémy Vandame & Santiago López-Ridaura & Luís García Barrios, 2010. "Adaptation de la gestion technique des producteurs de café et de miel face aux variations de prix au Guatemala : concepts et méthodes," Post-Print hal-00783500, HAL.
    19. Samrat Majumdar & Arijit Das & Sujit Mandal, 2023. "River bank erosion and livelihood vulnerability of the local population at Manikchak block in West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 138-175, January.
    20. Jianjun Huai, 2016. "Role of Livelihood Capital in Reducing Climatic Vulnerability: Insights of Australian Wheat from 1990–2010," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iwt:jounls:h051087. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chandima Gunadasa (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iwmiclk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.