Dissertation Research: The Impacts of Farmer Adaptation to Climate Variability on Groundwater Salinity and Soil Health in Gujarat, India

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

In the face of climate change, do short-term responses of societies undermine the long-term resilience of ecosystems and natural resources? To answer this question, this study assesses the impacts of cropping adaptation strategies on groundwater quality and soil health in a semi-arid agro-ecosystem in Northwest India. Farming communities in this region employ two cropping adaptation strategies for dealing with increasing monsoon variability attributable to climate change: (1) intensification in irrigation or (2) crop switching. While both of these responses are economically adaptive over the short term, they may lead to long-term degradation of groundwater quality and soil health. Preliminary data suggest that increasing use of groundwater may already be leading to falling groundwater tables, the intrusion of saltwater into aquifers, and the depletion of soil nutrients. The impacts of crop switching are less well known. This work will identify the relationship between the intensification of irrigation and crop switching on groundwater (quantity and quality) and soil health (soil organic carbon, soil nitrogen, and pH). These analyses will elucidate possible long-term impacts of adaptation strategies on ecosystem resources, and help identify whether these adaptation strategies are sustainable over time. Though millions of communities have a strong and coupled relationship with climate and the environment, few studies have attempted to understand the feedback between human adaptation and the long-term functioning of ecosystems; this project will address this gap. Furthermore, the data collected for this project will provide 400 farmers with measures of their soil health and water quality, which will help identify deficiencies in their resource base and may allow them to tailor cropping decisions to improve yields. The results of this work will also be shared with state-level researchers and policy makers in Gujarat as well as the broader public via a short documentary film.