Climate-induced Migration, Farmers’ Perception and its Determinants in Bundelkhand Region of Uttar Pradesh
1
Keywords:
Climate Change, Adaptation Strategies, Food Insecurity, Migration, Structural Equation ModelAbstract
The study aims to examine the extent and dimensions of climate-induced migration, adaptation strategies, and food insecurity in the Banda district, India. By using a systematic random sampling procedure, a total of 100 samples were collected from two villages (i.e., Banthary and Amlokhar) of Kamasin development block of the Banda district, India, in April 2026. Further, descriptive statistics and the structural equation model (SEM) were applied to analyse the data. The results indicate that climate change-induced migration has increased manifold. About 74.07 per cent of households have reported that due to crop failure, they are unable to pay loans. Limited water resources, a rise in temperature, and a lack of non-farm employment opportunities were major drivers of food insecurity in sampled villages. Therefore, farmers have adopted different adaptation strategies to overcome food insecurity. This study suggested that investment in agriculture and non-farm activities is vital for restricting climate-induced migration. Responsive, well-resourced public institutions must support community-led strategies.
References
Anuja, A.R., Amit, K., Pramod, K., G.K. Jha, and B.K. Singh (2018). Analysis of factors triggering distress migration in Bundelkhand region of central India. Economic Affairs, 63(4), 1055-1059.
Bardsley, D. K., & Hugo, G. J. (2010). Migration and climate change: Examining thresholds of change to guide effective adaptation decision-making. Population and Environment, 32(2), 238–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11111-010-0126-9
FAO (2016). The state of food and agriculture 2016: climate change, agriculture and food security. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. https://www.fao.org/3/i6030e/i6030e.pdf.
IDMC (2023). Internal displacement and food security: Global report on internal displacement 2023. Internal displacement monitoring centre, Norwegian Refugee Council, Switzerland.
Jena, A., & Kanungo, A. P. (2021). Factors associated with intergenerational occupational mobility in farming sector in coastal and tribal districts of Odisha of India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 57(2), 123-127. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/111753
Jena, A. & Aditya, P.K. (2022). Occupational mobility in farming sector: An analysis in coastal and tribal districts of Odisha, India. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 58(4), 34-37. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJEE/article/view/128426
Mekonnen, D. A., Soma, K., & Ruben, R. (2022). The ambivalent links between internal migration and food security in Uganda. Migration and Development, 11(3), 917–936. https://doi.org/10.1080/21632324.2020.1845489
Moharaj, P., Dillip, K.M. & Dibakar Sahoo (2025). Climate induce migration and internal displacement in rural India. Discover Environment, 3(169), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-025-00312-9
Osei-Amponsah, C., William, Q. & Andrew, O. (2023). Understanding climate-induced migration in West Africa through the social transformation lens. Frontiers in Sociology, 8: 1173395. doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2023.1173395
Pal P. K., Bhutia Phubu Tshering, Das L., Lepcha Norden & Nain M.S. (2017). Livelihood diversity in family farming in selected hill areas of West Bengal, India. Journal of Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development. 12(2), 172-178.
Pradhan, K.C. & Narayanan, K. (2020). Does climate risk induce labour migration? Evidence from Semi-Arid tropics region of India. Journal of Public Affairs, 22(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2323
Pearl, J. (2012). The causal mediation formula—a guide to the assessment of pathways and mechanisms. Prevention Science, 13, 426–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-011-0270-1
Reza, M., Pakravan, Ch., Jeyran, Ch. & Rahim, M. (2025). How climate change adaptation strategies and climate migration interact to control food insecurity? Regional Sustainability, 6(3), 1-19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2025.100229
Roy, D., Sankar, K.A., Monirul H., Arnab, B., Amrita, K.S. & Tapan, K.M. (2022). Migration Attributes in Adaptation and Its Correlates during Pandemic: The Socio-ecological Interpretation. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59(1), 75-80. https://doi.org/10.48165/
Singh, S. (2020). Farmers’ perception of climate change and adaptation decisions: A micro-level evidence from Bundelkhand Region, India. Ecological Indicators, 116, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106475
Singh, S., Alka, S. & C.B. Singh (2020). Climate Change and Migration: Adapting to Crisis. Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology, 11(3), 1-15. 10.9734/ajee/2019/v11i330139
Sreekumar, S. & Sabuj, K.M. (2024). Impact of drought out-migration among rural farm households in India: does participation in non-farm activities and access to irrigation make any difference? Indian Economic Review, 59(2), 525-558. DOI: 10.1007/s41775-024-00233-z
Suza, M., Jeroen, W., Katherine, N. & Han V.D. (2026). Climate, livelihood insecurity, and violent conflict over fishing access in coastal Bangladesh. Marine Policy, 188, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107077
Sabbatasso, E., Jeannie, S., Benilda, B., Rosaura, M., Karin S. & walter, F. (2025). Exploring the interconnections between health, climate crisis, food insecurity and institutional neglect in Alta Verapaz region, Guatemala. The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 26, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2025.100603.
Submitted
Published
Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on a reasonal request.
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indian Society of Extension Education, Division of Agricultural ExtensionICAR- IARI, New Delhi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- The manuscripts once accepted and published in the Indian Journal of Extension Education will automatically become the property of the Indian Society of Extension Education, New Delhi. The Chief Editor on behalf of the Indian Journal of Extension Education holds the copyright.