Adaptation to climate change & non-timber forest products a study of forest dependent communities in drought prone areas of West Bengal, India

In India 700 million rural people directly depend on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, forest and fisheries, and other natural resources for their subsistence and livelihood. Of these about 300 million rural poor are dependent on forest for their livelihood and more than half of them are tribal who depend on non-timber forest products (NTFPs). This paper attempts to identify household adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerability due to climate change. It also tries to estimate the factors responsible for the decisions of adaptation to climate change using the probabilistic model of Heckman’s two-step process. Both socio-economic and climatic factors play a role in this decision-making process. The Government of India has undertaken little policy action to reduce climate-related vulnerability particularly in the drought- prone regions of West Bengal. This paper has important policy implications for poverty, livelihood vulnerability and migration.