IMPACT OF CLIMATE VARIABILITY ON PADDY CULTIVATION: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PADDY CULTIVATION IN RAJANGANA SCHEME IN ANURADHAPURA DISTRICT

Abstract

The agricultural sector could be defined as the most vulnerable sector to climate variability. It is highly related to climatic parameters such as rainfall,precipitation, and evapotranspiration. In the agricultural sector paddy cultivation is highly related with climatic parameters and it is highly vulnerable to the changes of those climatic parameters. Hence this study focused on the impact of climate variability on paddy cultivation in the Rajanganaya scheme. The study is based on the primary data and data have been collected through a questionnaire survey. For the data analysis Excel and Arc GIS had been used. According to the outcomes, 95% of the total sample accepted that there is climate variability and it has an influence on paddy cultivation. 30% of farmers have abandoned their paddy cultivation as the result of adverse impacts of climate change. And most of them are following adaptation strategies like changing cultivation schedules, using short-term seed varieties and having crop insurance