• Energy Research

The measurement of sustainability in terms of social, economic, and ecological indicators significantly influences the achievement of sustainable development goals. This paper presents a sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) by selecting 20 indicators and positions them within the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development for the Indian west coast. These indicators were first normalized and, using estimated weights, indices were computed. Important indicators were shortlisted by a two-step process, namely, principal component analysis and linear and nonlinear weighted scores. The results revealed that indicators such as forest cover, net sown area, milk availability, groundwater availability, land productivity, food grain availability, rural road connectivity, villages electrified, and land degradation were found to be important indicators. Kerala was found as the most developed state followed by Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Goa in linear and non-linear weighted scoring. The study identifies the Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kachchh, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts as the districts with the highest priority for development through investment and policy interventions. The study concludes that the west coast region, in terms of its sustainable development levels, improved significantly with a focus on low-SLSI districts by considering ecological, economic, and social dimensions in planning for technological development and dissemination.

The measurement of sustainability in terms of social, economic, and ecological indicators significantly influences the achievement of sustainable development goals. This paper presents a sustainable livelihood security index (SLSI) by selecting 20 indicators and positions them within the ecological, economic, and social dimensions of sustainable development for the Indian west coast. These indicators were first normalized and, using estimated weights, indices were computed. Important indicators were shortlisted by a two-step process, namely, principal component analysis and linear and nonlinear weighted scores. The results revealed that indicators such as forest cover, net sown area, milk availability, groundwater availability, land productivity, food grain availability, rural road connectivity, villages electrified, and land degradation were found to be important indicators. Kerala was found as the most developed state followed by Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Goa in linear and non-linear weighted scoring. The study identifies the Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kachchh, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts as the districts with the highest priority for development through investment and policy interventions. The study concludes that the west coast region, in terms of its sustainable development levels, improved significantly with a focus on low-SLSI districts by considering ecological, economic, and social dimensions in planning for technological development and dissemination.

Climate change impacts agricultural productivity and farmers’ income, integrated farming systems (IFS) provide a mechanism to cope with such impacts. The nature and extent of climatic aberrations, perceived impact, and adaptation strategies by the farmers reduce the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate 2160 IFS farmers about their perceptions of climate change, barriers, and the likelihood of adapting to the negative impacts of climate change. The study observed an increasing rainfall trend for humid (4.18 mm/year) and semi-arid (0.35 mm/year) regions, while a decreasing trend was observed in sub-humid (−2.02 mm/year) and arid (−0.20 mm/year) regions over the last 38 years. The annual rise in temperature trends observed in different ACZs varied between 0.011–0.014 °C. Nearly 79% of IFS farmers perceived an increase in temperature, decreasing rainfall, variability in the onset of monsoon, heavy terminal rains, mid-season dry spells, and frequent floods due to climate change. The arid, semi-arid, sub-humid, and humid farmers’ adapted several measures in different components with an adaption index of 50.2%, 66.6%, 83.3%, and 91.6%, respectively. The majority of the IFS farmers perceived constraints in adopting measures to climate change, such as meta barriers, capacity barriers, and water barriers. Therefore, we infer that educated farmers involved in diversified and profitable farms with small to medium landholdings are concerned more about climate change in undertaking adaptive strategies to reduce the environmental impact of climate change.

Climate change impacts agricultural productivity and farmers’ income, integrated farming systems (IFS) provide a mechanism to cope with such impacts. The nature and extent of climatic aberrations, perceived impact, and adaptation strategies by the farmers reduce the adverse effects of climate change on agriculture. Therefore, a study was conducted to investigate 2160 IFS farmers about their perceptions of climate change, barriers, and the likelihood of adapting to the negative impacts of climate change. The study observed an increasing rainfall trend for humid (4.18 mm/year) and semi-arid (0.35 mm/year) regions, while a decreasing trend was observed in sub-humid (−2.02 mm/year) and arid (−0.20 mm/year) regions over the last 38 years. The annual rise in temperature trends observed in different ACZs varied between 0.011–0.014 °C. Nearly 79% of IFS farmers perceived an increase in temperature, decreasing rainfall, variability in the onset of monsoon, heavy terminal rains, mid-season dry spells, and frequent floods due to climate change. The arid, semi-arid, sub-humid, and humid farmers’ adapted several measures in different components with an adaption index of 50.2%, 66.6%, 83.3%, and 91.6%, respectively. The majority of the IFS farmers perceived constraints in adopting measures to climate change, such as meta barriers, capacity barriers, and water barriers. Therefore, we infer that educated farmers involved in diversified and profitable farms with small to medium landholdings are concerned more about climate change in undertaking adaptive strategies to reduce the environmental impact of climate change.

Protected cultivation is an innovative way of raising seasonal and off-seasonal crops under a controlled environment. Vegetables and flower crops have tremendous potential to augment productivity, generate employment, utilize land efficiently and enhance export. This study was undertaken to assess the economic feasibility of protected cultivation in the high export potential zones of the Pune and Nasik districts of Maharashtra, India, by employing project analytical tools and the regression model. The results revealed that the cultivation of flowers and vegetables under protected cultivation was highly lucrative with high investment. The protected cultivation of rose and capsicum had higher cultivation cost (300%), gross return (250%) and net return (190%) as compared to open cultivation. Moreover, most of the crops grown in polyhouses are highly profitable at different discount rates (7%, 10% and 12%), whereas a few crops were rewarding under shade net condition with subsidies. Factors such as literacy (p < 0.05), income (p < 0.05), access to subsidy (p < 0.05) and the risk orientation index (p < 0.01) were found statistically significant in technology adoption. In the context of a changing climate and shrinking land resources, water scarcity, incidence of pests and diseases, an ever-increasing population, low productivity under open conditions and changes in consumer’s preference are the drivers for switching over to protected cultivation. In the recent past, protected cultivation has been gaining importance in different parts of the country, including Maharashtra. The policy implications are creating modern infrastructure, enhanced application of ICTs, maximum crop production with minimum utilization of land and institutional support to promote technology on a commercial scale.

Protected cultivation is an innovative way of raising seasonal and off-seasonal crops under a controlled environment. Vegetables and flower crops have tremendous potential to augment productivity, generate employment, utilize land efficiently and enhance export. This study was undertaken to assess the economic feasibility of protected cultivation in the high export potential zones of the Pune and Nasik districts of Maharashtra, India, by employing project analytical tools and the regression model. The results revealed that the cultivation of flowers and vegetables under protected cultivation was highly lucrative with high investment. The protected cultivation of rose and capsicum had higher cultivation cost (300%), gross return (250%) and net return (190%) as compared to open cultivation. Moreover, most of the crops grown in polyhouses are highly profitable at different discount rates (7%, 10% and 12%), whereas a few crops were rewarding under shade net condition with subsidies. Factors such as literacy (p < 0.05), income (p < 0.05), access to subsidy (p < 0.05) and the risk orientation index (p < 0.01) were found statistically significant in technology adoption. In the context of a changing climate and shrinking land resources, water scarcity, incidence of pests and diseases, an ever-increasing population, low productivity under open conditions and changes in consumer’s preference are the drivers for switching over to protected cultivation. In the recent past, protected cultivation has been gaining importance in different parts of the country, including Maharashtra. The policy implications are creating modern infrastructure, enhanced application of ICTs, maximum crop production with minimum utilization of land and institutional support to promote technology on a commercial scale.