Effects of Climate Change on Household Economy and Adaptive Responses among Agricultural Households in Eastern Coast of India

It is imperative to understand the effects of climate change on household members and the vulnerability level in and across agricultural households for India in general, and for eastern coastal part of the country in particular. This study covers primary data from 150 households from 2 blocks of Kendrapara district in Odisha. The household level unit of analysis is policy driven and follows the IPCC model on Vulnerability Analysis and Climate Change Adaptation Research. The model is expanded to include the livelihood strategies of the households, in order to empirically assess their vulnerability and adaptive responses. This study uses an econometric model on household vulnerability and adaptive capacity of rural households. The results imply that access to credit facilities and experiences of the households in farming are important factors to improve farmers' adaptation to climate change.