The Intl J Civl, Env, Agri Engg, 35-40 | 35 Rainfall Uncertainty and Drought Proofing Strategies by farmers in Southern India K. Palanisami a* , D. Suresh Kumar b , T. Mohanasundari c a Emeritus Scientist, International Water Management Institute (IWMI). New Delhi b Professor (Agricultural Economics), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore c Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, PGP College of Agricultural Sciences, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu *Corresponding Author palanisami.iwmi@gmail.com (K. Palanisami) Received : 24-03-2019 Accepted : 03-05-2019 ABSTRACT: Droughts are a common occurrence in semi-arid areas and their frequency and intensity is expected to increase further with increasing variability in rainfall distribution. Based on a study of 120 farmers from 4 districts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, this paper identified the range of measures farmers adopt in response to droughts. Despite significant negative externalities, farmers assign higher priority to drilling new wells rather than investing in water conservation structures or demand management strategies. Among the different strategies followed, adoption of drip irrigation and purchase of tanker water for providing life-saving irrigation to perennial crops yield the highest financial return. Expansion of micro irrigation and reuse of municipal waste water are suggested as drought mitigation strategies. Keywords: Rainfall variation, drought proofing, well investment, cost of water, micro irrigation, waste water reuse 1. Introduction Drought has been a common phenomenon and its occurrence is not a shocking one. For a period 1871 to 2002, India experienced 22 droughts, of which 5 were severe. Drought is a normal feature of climate, and it will keep occurring at intervals. Meteorologically, ± 19% deviation from the long-term mean is considered as normal whereas deficiency in the range of 20-59% is considered as moderate drought and more than 60% is severe drought (Samra, 2004). To manage droughts, the Central and State governments have implemented several measures like construction of larger reservoirs, water harvesting structures, designing institutional arrangements for drought monitoring (like Indian Meteorological Department), early warning, relief measures and so on. There are essentially two major drought proofing measures on a long-term basis:[1] harness water through further spread of irrigation, groundwater and watershed development; and [2] evolve and spread drought resistant and short duration high yielding varieties (Ahluwalia 1991). In recent years, augmenting groundwater through artificial recharge and watershed development programs has also assumed importance (Palanisami and Kumar 2006). Keeping recurring droughts one side and farmers’ responses on the other, this paper aims to examine drought proofing measures adopted by farmers in response to recent drought of 2015-16 and the effectiveness of these measures. Such an exercise can help the planning process for tackling future droughts in different parts of the country. 2. Data and Methods Our study relied on field survey conducted during May-August 2017 in two districts (Coimbatore and Tirupur) of Tamil Nadu and two districts (Tumkur and Bijapur) of Karnataka. The data pertained to the agricultural year 2015- 16 and the survey covered 30 well irrigated farmers in each district. Water availability at farm was calculated by collecting water in bucket with timer and the same was calculated for one hour which again multiplied by number of hours water was pumped in a day. Some of the details available from recent studies in selected locations in Karnataka were also utilized (Palanisami and Doraisamy 2016; Water Technology Centre 2015; Palanisami et al. 2015). 3. Rainfall analysis by Gamma distribution Variation in rainfall was the key factor contributing for the droughts and farmers interventions in managing the crop production. The annual average (normal) rainfall of the Coimbatore, Tirupur, Tumkur and Bijapur districts are 746, 700, 578 and 744 mm respectively. The coefficient of variation in rainfall was also high among the districts indicating high variability (risk) in getting the required rains during the crop seasons. In order to get an idea about the RESEARCH ARTICLE DOI: 10. 34256/ijceae1915