ERIC Number: EJ971523
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jun
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-8566
EISSN: N/A
Reading the Water Table: The Interaction between Literacy Practices and Groundwater Management Training in Preparing Farmers for Climate Change in South India
Chavva, Konda Reddy; Smith, Cristine A.
International Review of Education, v58 n3 p353-374 Jun 2012
This article focuses on farmers' use of literacy for individual decision-making on crop-water management and crop choices and investigates how farmer participants perceive the usefulness of Farmer Water School (FWS) training. It draws upon a study conducted with farmers of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. This study has demonstrated that literacy skills, while valued, are not a prerequisite for all farmers to improve their groundwater and crop management, as long as training includes (1) the presence of at least some literate farmers, (2) activities that involve learning by doing, and (3) learning in small mixed groups of literate and non-literate participants. The study outcomes are of increasing relevance in the context of climate change and variability, as small and marginal farmers constitute over 87 per cent of Indian farmers. Their inability to cope with consequences of climate change could adversely affect the food security in the country.
Descriptors: Water, Agricultural Occupations, Foreign Countries, Climate, Literacy, Conservation (Environment), Decision Making, Farm Management, Food
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A