Adoption, Impact, and Barriers to Climate-Smart Agriculture: An Empirical Evidence from Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

The study aims to analyse the adoption, impact, and barriers to Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices among tribal farming communities in Arunachal Pradesh. The primary data was collected from 250 respondents through a structured questionnaire. The study employs binary logistic regression to identify socio-economic and institutional determinants of CSA adoption, Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to assess its impact on productivity, resilience, and food security, and the Problem Confrontation Index (PCI) to rank key adoption barriers. Only 43 per cent of farmers adopted CSA practices. Higher adoption of CSA is associated with education, access to irrigation, youth presence, and institutional participation. CSA adoption significantly improved crop yield, farm income, soil fertility, and food security. Mitigation effects like carbon sequestration and GHG reduction remained statistically weak. Key barriers include poor extension services, low awareness, high cost, limited availability of improved seeds, and weak access to credit. The study suggests localized policy interventions focused on capacity building, extension system strengthening, inclusive financial tools, and culturally sensitive awareness programs.