Informatics Publishing Limited

Unmesh Patnaik ¹, Krishnan Narayanan ²

Affiliations
1 School of Rural Management, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751024, Orissa, IN
2 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai 400076, IN

Abstract

Disaster risk is a major concern in India as people living in disaster-prone regions are subject to a variety of risks concerning their livelihood. This paper attempts to study vulnerability of rural households. Their income is affected due to climate-related natural disasters like droughts and floods. The analysis is carried out using a production function approach with alternative specifications. The findings suggest that shocks are significantly responsible for diminishing the income of these households and household specific characteristics are important in determining their income.

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Unmesh Patnaik ¹, Prasun Kumar Das ², Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati ³, Onkar Nath Tripathi ⁴

Affiliations
1 Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400 088, IN
2 Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association, Bangkok, TH
3 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Tirupati 517 506, IN
4 Utkal University, Bhubaneswar 751 004, IN

Abstract

Vulnerability is a multidimensional concept incorporating notions of risk and poverty. While it has been established that higher incidence of poverty in developing countries exacerbates vulnerability, the role of risk requires closer inspection. Developmental interventions in these countries target poverty reduction, which in turn, could reduce vulnerability. However, a key question is whether developmental interventions reduce the vulnerability and risks faced by households. To answer this, the present study empirically examines the impact of developmental interventions on the vulnerability of households in a rural Indian setting. The major advantage hence is that it not only looks into the impact on aggregate vulnerability but also its different components such as poverty, covariate, idiosyncratic and unexplained risks. Empirical analysis is based on a survey of 800 households in the drought-prone villages of western Odisha, India, where a key developmental intervention, Western Orissa Rural Livelihood Project was implemented during the last decade. Adopting ‘vulnerability as expected utility’ approach, this study reveals three major findings. First, both aggregate risk and poverty are the dominant sources of vulnerability, with the former accounting for a sizable share. Second, the households that benefited from livelihood interventions are found less vulnerable. Third, the other major determinants of vulnerability are education, access to social network, family size and crop-diversification. From a policy perspective, results support continuation of these programmes, but realigning these also target risk reduction.

Keywords

Covariate, Developmental Interventions, Idiosyncratic Risk, Rural Setting, Vulnerability.

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Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati ¹, Aparajay Kumar Singh ², Unmesh Patnaik ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, Yerpedu 517 619, IN
2 Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai 600 020, IN
3 Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies, School of Habitat Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai 400 088, IN

Abstract

Available empirical evidence for the association between soil-based interventions and economic returns in India reveals the following. First, integrated nutrient management (INM) is superior to balanced nutrient management (BNM) in terms of yield and economic profit for the cultivation of maize and soybean. Second, incentivizing the usage of INM rather than BNM is likely to provide a better yield and higher income to rice, wheat and potato farmers. Third, more studies on various crops are required to scientifically compare and reach a definite conclusion on the yield and economic returns from different types of fertilizer applications – INM, BNM and organic or biofertilizers. These findings have policy implications in India since the Soil Health Card scheme was centralized in 2015.

Keywords

Community-Based Farming, Crop Yield, Economic Returns, Fertilizers, Soil Interventions.

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