11.11.2025
Climate change affects everyone – but not equally. A new international study with participation from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) shows that in rural regions of the Indian Himalayas, climate adaptation strategies of smallholder households vary significantly depending on income, education, caste and gender.
The researchers conclude that political and development programs aimed at climate adaptation are more effective when these factors are taken into account. The results have been published in the journal Discover Sustainability.
The study examined 298 farming households in Almora district, Uttarakhand. Using statistical methods, the team analyzed how social characteristics influence the choice of adaptation strategies in response to droughts, heavy rainfall or crop failures. The main insight: adaptation is not just a technical or individual decision – it is strongly shaped by social context.
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Low-income households, especially those headed by women, are more likely to rely on ecosystem-based and community-driven strategies: they organize collectively, harvest water using traditional methods, or grow locally adapted crops such as millet or buckwheat. These strategies are often affordable, locally accessible and based on generational knowledge.
In contrast, wealthier households – both male- and female-headed – are more likely to use technological and institutional solutions, such as irrigation pumps, weather apps or government support programs. The study also notes that male-headed households are more common in higher income groups, whereas female-headed households are disproportionately found in lower social strata.
“People living in disadvantaged conditions like limited land, education or income – especially women – simply can’t afford technologies or insurance,” says Assoc. Prof. Michelle Bonatti from ZALF. “The climate crisis hits them harder, so they need different forms of support. But, they also conserve important local knowledge about adaptation that must be recognized and considered while planning support measures.”
Why This Matters for Society
Many climate adaptation policies are designed in a gender-neutral way. But if they fail to address unequal starting points, they often miss their target. This study highlights the need for an intersectional approach – one that simultaneously considers gender, caste, income and education.
The findings offer important insights for the development of socially just adaptation strategies – not just in India, but also in other regions where smallholder farming and social inequality are closely linked. Policymakers could learn how to make adaptation more effective and fair – especially for communities that have so far been underrepresented.
Project partners:
- Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
- G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand, India
- Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg, Germany
Funding:
Open access funding provided by Projekt DEAL. This research has not received any funding.
Note on the text:
This is a summary of the original publication generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence: Choudhary, A., Bonatti, M., Sieber, S., Pandey, D. T., & Joshi, P. K. (2025).
Intersectional perspectives on gendered adaptation and social hierarchies in agricultural communities of the Indian Himalaya. Discover Sustainability, 6:676. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01451-y.
The text has been carefully reviewed and edited in accordance with the
AI guidelines of ZALF.
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