18 March 2014: A paper by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), reports key findings on the adoption of climate change adaptation practices by farmers in 26 study villages in South Asia, Southeast Asia and China.

The policy brief, titled ‘Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture in Selected Asian Countries: Insights from Micro-Level Studies and Implications for Policy,’ examines adaptation strategies in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The authors, MCS Bantilan and Geetha Mohan, review adaptation in rice cultivation at the micro-level and economic impact assessments from case studies in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The brief, originally published in 2012, is now available for free download at ICRISAT’s Open Access Repository. It traces the pattern of technology adoption in the region and ends with policy recommendations. The authors suggest that governments should, inter alia: integrate climate change into national agricultural policies; introduce new insurance schemes for smallholder farmers; create incentives for developing and adopting eco-friendly technologies; support research on new crop varieties; and spread information on adaptation practices. [Publication: Adaptation to Climate Change in Agriculture in Selected Asian Countries: Insights from Micro-Level Studies and Implications for Policy]