Drought Impacts and Adaptation Strategies for Agriculture and Rural Livelihood in the Maharashtra State of India

Abstract

Nearly one-sixth of India is defined as a Drought Prone Area, and as such recurring drought is one of the major challenges in the region. This article focuses on various drought impacts in an important state of India (i.e. Maharashtra State), which contributes about 15% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Drought impacts vary from region to region, but the overall issues are similar and Maharashtra State is indicative of the rest of the Drought Prone Area of the country. This article briefly reviews the major impacts of the 2012 drought on Maharashtra State’s water resources, agriculture, food security, adopted adaptation and mitigation measures and also outlines scope for future research.