Prioritizing climate-smart technologies in agriculture-a case study in Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

This study follows two approaches simultaneously to prioritize climate-smart technologies-the first uses the Climate-Smart Feasibility Index (CSFI), and the second assesses farmers’ preferences of climate-smart technologies for the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. The CSFI includes variables such as productivity, water, energy and nitrogen use efficiency, and labor intensity. These indicators are aggregated by using their respective weights, which are derived through Principal Component Analysis. Further, farmers’ preferences are estimated by using the stated preference method. The results of this assessment reveal that the technologies highly preferred by the farmers are not necessarily the ones with high CSFI value but are those that save inputs even at the cost of productivity. This may be due to poor access to agricultural machinery, and the dominance of rainfed agriculture. But farmers are otherwise interested in replacing their traditional cultivation practices with climate-smart practices. The study brings out the gap between scientific knowledge about smart agriculture technologies, and the farmers’ preferences, which would be useful in investment decisions by policy makers.