Climate Change induced Drought and its Impact on Subsistence Farming and Food System in High Mountains: An Interpretation of Women’s Insight in a Rain-fed Watershed, Kumaon Lesser Himalaya, India

In Himalaya, constraints of terrain and climate limit the productivity of natural resources and restrict opportunities of livelihood. This compels majority of population to practice subsistence farming as a means of survival. The study examines impact of climate change induced drought on subsistence agriculture and food system with a case study of Ramgad Watershed located in the rain-fed Lesser Himalayan mountains in India. The study is primarily based on the interpretation of information collected and systematized from diverse sources including community perception and other qualitative and empirical methods. The frequency of droughts has increased over the recent past and on an average in most of years, the watershed faced two droughts. The majority of droughts occurred during winter and spring months. The recurrent and protracted droughts have not only depleted the water resources and agro-biodiversity but also decreased irrigated agricultural land by 11%. On an average, 28% villages suffered up-to 50% decline in agricultural production due to recurrent droughts. 58% of the total inhabitants of the Ramgad Watershed have been identified as food insecure. This clearly indicates that climate change induced drought has emerged as one of the major threats to subsistence farming system and rural food and livelihood security in the rain-fed Lesser Himalayan mountains.