Managing Hazard-Related Risks to Agriculture in India

India is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, with 85% of its area at risk of a variety of disasters. Approximately 28% of India’s total cultivable area is drought-prone, 57% of its geographical area lies in high seismic risk zone, and on an average, 76 lakh hectares suffer the onslaught of floods every year (Andharia, J. (2003). Disaster risk reduction through development orientation in Disaster Management: The significance of people’s participation in India. In P. Sahni, & M. J. Ariyabandu (Eds.), Disaster risk reduction in South Asia (pp. 327–351).). Many people lack basic facilities such as food, security, clean drinking water, adequate shelter, schools, hospitals and roads. In developing countries like India, therefore, disasters are not to be viewed solely as emergencies but as long-term problems. Disasters induced by natural extreme events can deeply affect the social structure of the affected areas and have severe consequences for humans and the environment, agriculture, forestry, rangeland and fisheries. Most of the disaster-prone population still depends on agriculture as a major source of earning. Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability, and it is adversely affected by weather- and climate-related hazards.