Sustainability Report 2011

It is estimated that over 400 million people in India live in multi-dimensional poverty surviving on less than $ 1 a day. The magnitude of social inequities is indeed alarming. This will undoubtedly impact long term stability and will limit future growth.

Nearly 700 million people living in rural India, with low adaptive capacities, have a direct and symbiotic dependence on climate sensitive sectors (agriculture, forest, fisheries) and natural resources (such as water, bio-diversity, mangroves, coastal zones, grasslands) for their subsistence and livelihoods. Limited options of alternative off-farm employment combined with endemic poverty continue to imperil the livelihood security of millions of small and marginal farmers, mainly in the rain-fed agriculture regions of the country.

Based on current evidence, there is a compelling case to argue that these factors are likely to get exacerbated due to the changes wrought by climate change, leading to an increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and floods. Climate change over the long-term will thus affect the rural economy in a number of ways - the majority of which would threaten food security and livelihoods for the most vulnerable sections of society.