Abstract
The Bundelkhand region in India is faced with challenges such as rain-dependency, insufficient irrigation, and vulnerability to climate change and droughts. Comprising of thirteen economically weak and underdeveloped districts, the area heavily relies on agriculture for employment, livelihoods, and economic development. The agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the region’s economic growth but droughts have frequently caused disruptions. This study aims to examine the impact of droughts on the agricultural and overall economic growth rate of the region using a mixed method approach. It conducts regression analysis using district-level longitudinal data obtained from the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in India. The empirical analysis is for the period 2005–2017. The results show that drought lowers the agricultural and the aggregate growth rate by − 14.51% and − 4.33%, respectively than no drought condition. The study is novel to undertake such analysis at the regional level from the disaster management and regional development perspectives. Also, the post-drought financial relief shows a negative impact on the agricultural growth of six districts in the region. The funds were spent towards the relief-oriented works rather than long-term mitigation measures, causing such negative implications. The study also shows lacuna in drought governance, such as non-coordination, misplaced priorities, changing cropping patterns, corruption and administrative negligence. These findings are important for the governments and policymakers to design appropriate drought management strategies, and to allocate the financial resources to the agriculture sector.
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Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Madhya Pradesh
Source: Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Uttar Pradesh
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Notes
Drought has multiple definitions and types, such as meteorological (based on rainfall deficiency), agricultural (based on crop loss) and hydrological (based on groundwater availability) drought. Drought declaration is also a complex (Zarei 2019) administrative process and varies at the sub-national level. Many states in India consider factors such as negative rainfall deviation of more than 25% from the annual average in the district or tehsil/villages, crop loss estimation, a decline in the crop sown area, migration before identifying and declaring drought. Many a times, despite the threshold rainfall deficit, drought may not be officially announced, but there may be similar distress (drought-like situation) in the economy. Moreover, the state government may declare a drought in some areas only at the sub-district (tehsil or village) level. Most of the states in India follows meteorological definition of drought (rainfall deficiency) for declaration of droughts and disbursing financial relief.
According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the % Net Irrigated Area to % Net Sown Area is approximately 56% and 55%, in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh (UP-B), and Madhya Pradesh (MP-B) respectively in 2017.
According to the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of UP and MP, the % Net Irrigated Area to % Net Sown Area is approximately 56% and 55%, respectively in Bundelkhand region of UP and MP in 2017.
A kind of cheap cigarette, made of unprocessed tobacco and wrapped in leaves.
Banda, Chitrakut, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba are seven districts in UP-B. And Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna and Datia districts are part of the state of MP-B.
Refer to the article by Aarti Dhar in Hindu (https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/whither-bundelkhand-package/article2883401.ece).
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Sharma, A. Rainfall deficiency, drought and economic growth in the Bundelkhand region of India. Sustain. Water Resour. Manag. 9, 72 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-023-00851-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-023-00851-0