Climate change adaptation of smallholder farmers in South Asia: potential strategies for agricultural transformation

Purpose: Climate change significantly increases the vulnerability of agriculture in South Asia. This has led to decreased agricultural yields, resulting in lower incomes, heightened food insecurity and increased poverty levels. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the current climate change adaptation measures used by hazard-prone farming communities in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach: The most relevant documents from the Web of Science and Scopus databases were retrieved using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Findings: Across the reviewed literature, South Asian smallholder farmers are reported to face recurrent climate hazards – particularly floods, drought/heat stress, riverbank erosion and pest/disease outbreaks – that shape the adaptation priorities described in empirical studies. The reported adaptation responses cluster into six domains: livelihood diversification, agricultural diversification, risk management, land and crop management, farm and income management and conservation practices. Overall, the reviewed evidence most frequently reports agronomic and risk-oriented adjustments, whereas conservation-oriented and ecosystem-based practices are less frequently reported, often in contexts constrained by credit, information, infrastructure and institutional support. Research limitations/implications: Future research should concentrate on a specific South Asian region using primary data. In addition, adaptation strategies may vary because of demographic characteristics. This study could not highlight the influence of demographic characteristics on adaptation strategies because of its specific focus. Future studies should consider the influence of demographic attributes such as land size, household size, gender, education level and membership in farmer associations, training in agricultural production, access to extension services and the use of improved varieties of adaptation strategies by South Asian farmers. Furthermore, future studies should focus on the negative effects of technology-assisted adaptation techniques, traditional and local knowledge, livelihood variety, government and organization aid, food and water security, social and recreational activities and physical infrastructure. Originality/value: Prior systematic reviews of adaptation strategies among South Asian farmers have lacked transparency regarding their review processes. This has made it challenging for subsequent researchers to replicate studies, verify interpretations or evaluate their thoroughness. This study aims to address this gap by clearly outlining our review methodology.