Climate sensitivity of Indian agriculture: do spatial effects matter?

The paper contributes to current knowledge of climate change impacts on Indian agriculture by accounting for spatial features that may influence the climate sensitivity of agriculture. Using panel data over a 20-year period and on 271 districts, this study estimates the impact of climate change on farm level net revenue in India. The key findings reveal that there is a significant positive spatial autocorrelation and that accounting for this can improve the accuracy of climate impact studies. Furthermore, the paper argues that better dissemination of knowledge among farmers through both market forces and local leadership will help popularize effective adaptation strategies to address climate change impacts.