Diversification Of Agricultural Crops To Adapt To Climate Change: A Case Study Of Gujarat

Climate change is a global environmental challenge that is threatening sustainable development around the world. This paper looks at diversification as a key factor in reducing risk and means of coping with an uncertain climate. The time series data on area, production and productivity of major crops of Gujarat State were collected from the website www.agri.gujarat.gov. in for the period from 2001-02 to 2014-15 and analyzed using different statistical tools like-CGR, Instability Index, Diversification Index, etc. This paper revealed that acreage under major food-gains like wheat and rice, most of cash crops and all the horticultural crops were increased whereas acreage under all coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds was declined, which was mainly due to increase in rainfall (in cotton growing area), irrigation facility, high prices and introduction of Bt cotton variety. These all reasons were related to climactic factors directly or indirectly. High growth and low instability i.e. in case of major cereals, cash crops and horticultural crops shows risk security of farmers in terms of economic returns as well as in terms of climactic adaptation. Amongst the different regions, North Gujarat reported the highest level of crop diversification followed by Middle Gujarat, South Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch. The pre dominant crop like cotton and groundnut in Saurashtra-Kutch was responsible for low level of diversification in the region. Overall, Gujarat state reported a moderately high level of crop diversification but it was slightly declined during last decade, which secured farmers against climate risk.