Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Evaluating Smallholder Farmer Adaptation Strategies to Heat-waves in the Awadh Region

Abstract

Heatwaves have become one of the most severe climate risks for agriculture in South Asia, with projections indicating sharp increases in their frequency, intensity, and duration. The Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh characterized by rice-wheat systems and dense smallholder cultivation is especially vulnerable. This paper evaluates how smallholder farmers in Awadh are adapting to escalating heat stress through the lens of climate-resilient agriculture (CRA). Using a conceptual framework that integrates climate resilience, sustainable livelihoods, and vulnerability analysis, the study synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed research, government reports, and grey literature from Uttar Pradesh and the broader Indo-Gangetic Plains. The paper examines regional heatwave trends, their impacts on crops and livelihoods, and the range of adaptation strategies employed or promoted. These include agronomic measures such as heat-tolerant varieties and modified sowing dates, improved soil and water management, agroforestry, crop and livelihood diversification, livestock practices, and climate information services. Although farmers are actively adapting, structural constraints small landholdings, limited irrigation and credit, weak extension systems, and gendered inequalities restrict transformative resilience. Existing policy efforts, including state climate plans, weather-information networks, and technology demonstrations, offer partial support but lack alignment with smallholder needs. The paper recommends scaling co-designed CRA interventions, strengthening local climate services, and integrating social protection with adaptation.