PERCEIVED EFFECTIVENESS AND UPSCALING POTENTIAL OF CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURAL INTERVENTIONS ACROSS FARM TYPOLOGY

Abstract

Understanding heterogeneity among farmers based on socio-economic characteristics and resource endowments is essential for developing farm typologies and thus strategically promoting effective climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions in climatically vulnerable regions. This study applied a participatory approach to measure the effectiveness and upscaling potential of CSA interventions based on farmers' preferences in a drought-prone region of Wayanad, Kerala, using 146 farmer respondents. Using principal component and cluster analysis, four typologies were identified from the region based on socio-economic characteristics: resource-intensive crop farmers, diversified household-oriented farmers, marginal crop farmers, and livestock-oriented farmers. The results indicated that resource-intensive farmers perceived the highest effectiveness in using interventions such as water management and machinery in farm operations, as it improved their resilience to climate shocks. However, the scalability of interventions was highly identified for the resource-poor and less diversified typology of marginal crop farmers and livestock-oriented farmers. Thus, this study highlights that to improve the benefits and scalability of CSA interventions, the implementation should be based on typology, understanding the diversity rather than a blanket model of implementation.