Section Article

Climate Change Adaptation and Rural Livelihoods in India
Author(s): Ravi Shankar

Abstract
Climate change has emerged as one of the greatest challenges of the twenty-first century disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations in developing countries. In India rural communities constitute the backbone of the economy with agriculture forestry and fisheries supporting millions of livelihoods. These sectors are highly climate-sensitive making rural households particularly vulnerable to changing rainfall patterns extreme weather events droughts and floods. Climate change not only threatens agricultural productivity but also destabilizes food security income sources and social structures.