Marathwada, a crucial part of Maharashtra’s agricultural landscape, has been plagued by persistent uncertainty due to prolonged periods of drought. In this policy brief for the Centre for Rapid Insights, Ishana Deshpande, intern, discusses the impact of drought conditions on the livelihood of farmers & farm workers in the Marathwada region.
Excepts below:
“Although Maharashtra is an industrialised state, a major chunk of population depends on agriculture and other allied activities increasing vulnerability to drought disasters. The sector contributes to 12% of the state’s economy (gross value added) and is currently threatened by repeated drought. Drought is therefore viewed as a major climate hazard given its substantial impact on the country’s agricultural economy.”
“Almost half of the farmers/ farm workers, whose income has been impacted, would choose to work under MGNREGA. 30% of the respondents would choose to borrow money due to the impact on income caused by less rainfall while only 4% would choose to switch jobs or take up a new job”
You read the full policy brief here
