Household Food Security through Wetland Resources with Adaptation to Climate Change: An Empirical Analysis of Ranikor, Meghalaya, India

Rizwan Ahmed *

School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CAU-Imphal), Umiam- 793103, Meghalaya, India.

Khumanthem Babina Devi

Department of Environmental Science, Mizoram University, Aizawl-796004, Mizoram, India.

Rakesh Meher

Sambalpur University, Burla-768019, Odisha, India.

Sanjenbam Sher Singh

School of Social Sciences, College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CAU-Imphal), Umiam- 793103, Meghalaya, India.

Rohit Hemam

College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences (CAU-Imphal), Umiam- 793103, Meghalaya, India.

Sanjay Hazarika

Department of Entomology, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-785013, India.

Okram Ricky Devi

Department of Agronomy, Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat-13, Assam, India.

*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.


Abstract

Wetland ecosystems are the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth and include marshes, lakes, rivers, flood basins, estuarine deltas, ponds, rice fields, and marine water areas where the depth at low tide does not exceed 6 m. Tangible and intangible diverse resources and products of wetland functions have historically provided a source of income and livelihood for human beings. The present study investigated the different causes and the perceived indicators of food insecurity among the wetland dwellers, determined the wetland contribution to household food security and assessed the determinants of wetland based income with a view on the adaptive strategies adopted by the households residing around Ranikor, Meghalaya. Data was collected from 70 wetland resource-user households which was analyzed using simple percentage, t-test, regression analysis and Garrett ranking technique. The wetland resources contributed significantly to the household food security in the study area. It was found that climate change and limited labour were the major causes of food insecurity. Factors like household size, agricultural land area and age of the respondent determined the extraction of resources. Moreover, the study revealed crop diversification, re-digging of canal, construction of embankments and poultry rearing as the adaptive measures in the face of climate change having merits. The study recommends the need to design appropriate food production technologies that ensure sustainable use of wetland resources for food security as increasing population coupled with climate change will have drastic impact on the households relying on wetland for food security and income.

Keywords: Wetland, food security, climate change, crop diversification


How to Cite

Ahmed , Rizwan, Khumanthem Babina Devi, Rakesh Meher, Sanjenbam Sher Singh, Rohit Hemam, Sanjay Hazarika, and Okram Ricky Devi. 2023. “Household Food Security through Wetland Resources With Adaptation to Climate Change: An Empirical Analysis of Ranikor, Meghalaya, India”. International Journal of Environment and Climate Change 13 (10):4558-64. https://doi.org/10.9734/ijecc/2023/v13i103135.