Climate Change and Crop Diversification in Tribal Areas of Parvathipuram Manyam District in Andhra Pradesh

AbstractClimate change poses a severe threat to indigenous communities relying on rainfed agriculture infragile mountain ecosystems. This study examines the dynamics of climate change perceptions,the extent of crop diversification, its socio-economic determinants, and institutional constraintsamong tribal farmers in the newly formed Parvathipuram Manyam district of Andhra Pradesh.Utilizing a multi-stage random sampling method, primary data were collected from 200 tribalfarm households across four agency mandals: Seethampeta, Gummalaxmipuram, Kurupam, andSalur. Descriptive statistics, Simpson’s Diversity Index (SDI), Binary Logistic Regression, andHenry Garrett’s Ranking Technique were employed for empirical analysis.The findings reveal that 88.5% of tribal farmers perceived significant climatic shifts,characterized by unpredictable rainfall, extended mid-season dry spells, higher temperatures, anddeclining spring flows in the Eastern Ghats. The Simpson's Diversity Index increased from 0.38(pre-adaptation) to 0.69 (post-adaptation), indicating a noticeable shift from traditionalmonocropping (rainfed paddy) and shifting cultivation (podu) toward multi-crop farmingsystems combining millets, cashew, turmeric, coffee, pulses, and vegetables. Binary logitregression identified farming experience, access to institutional credit, extension services, non-farm income, and irrigation access via micro-water structures as statistically significant positivedrivers of crop diversification adoption. High price volatility, market distance, lack ofstorage/processing infrastructure, and acute labor shortages during peak periods emerged asmajor bottlenecks. The study recommends strengthening Integrated Tribal Development Agency(ITDA) market linkages, promoting community-led solar lift-irrigation collectives, establishingprimary processing MSME hubs for cashew and turmeric, and expanding Andhra PradeshCommunity-Managed Natural Farming (APCNF) to enhance long-term climate resilience in theagency belt.