Deciphering the Constraints Perceived by Farmers in the Adaptation of Climate-Resilient Technologies in the NICRA Village of Jharsuguda District in Odisha, India: RBQ and Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance Approach

Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture, necessitating the adoption of climate-resilient technology. Rising global temperatures, a direct consequence of climate change, negatively impact agricultural productivity, threaten farmers’ livelihoods, and affect food availability. The studies suggest that this warming trend could lead to a 4.5-9% drop in crop yields, depending on how severe and widespread the temperature rise is. Since agriculture contributes approximately 17.4% to India’s GDP, this decline in production could cost the economy up to 1.5% of its GDP each year. Thus, adopting climate-resilient agricultural technologies has become crucial in the current agro-ecological context. However, various socio-personal, financial, and technological constraints hinder their adoption. With this background, the current study was undertaken using an ex-post facto research design to uncover and quantify the constraints faced by the National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) farmers in the Jharsuguda district of Odisha, India. The study identified these constraints using the Rank-Based Quotient (RBQ) method and ranking. The findings revealed that the strongest socio-personal constraint was a preference for conventional practices (RBQ = 84.44%). The lack of credit or capital (RBQ = 89.44%) ranked the highest among financial constraints. Among the technological constraints is the difficulty in implementing climate-resilient technologies (RBQ = 87.78%). The Rank-Based Quotient (RBQ) method, supplemented by Kendall’s coefficient of concordance [W = 0.64, χ² (2) = 77.00, p < 0.001], indicated a strong consensus in the rankings. Data was collected from 60 NICRA farmers through structured interviews. The results highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as enhanced training, financial support, mechanization access, and timely input supply, to promote climate-resilient agriculture. Addressing these impediments will facilitate sustainable and adaptive farming systems in the region.