Agro-climatic Vulnerability and Environmental Sustainability of Indian States

Climate change is a long-term phenomenon which affects the global environment adversely and agriculture practice of billions. India is an agrarian country and agriculture is the major livelihood option of millions; hence the study of agriculture vulnerability is very much needed for food security of the country. Several studies have been carried out on different aspects of vulnerability like land degradation, wasteland, hydrological vulnerability, environmental aspects, etc. for specific state or region. The present paper is an attempt to integrate the hydro-ecological vulnerability of Indian districts in the context of agriculture and state level environmental performance across the country. The spatial distribution of vulnerable districts across the states along with state of environment has been mapped using a geographic information system (GIS) tool. There exists a significant vulnerability, particularly among the districts of western part of India. The environmental sustainability of Himalayan and north-eastern states are much higher than that of other part of the country. Although these analyses are based on secondary data of national level, some region specific micro-level study could reveal the cause and consequences of vulnerability. Yet it is an attempt to map the status of environment and distribution of vulnerability across the country particularly in agro-climatic front.