Climate Change and Agricultural Land Use in the Gin River Basin: A Critical Review of Trends, Impacts, and Adaptation Strategies

Abstract

This literature review examines the impacts of climate change on agricultural land use patterns in the Gin River Basin, Sri Lanka. A systematic search of peer-reviewed journals, government reports, and institutional publications was conducted using databases including Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science, covering literature from 2000 to 2025 with search terms such as 'climate change,' 'agricultural land use,' 'Gin River Basin,' 'Sri Lanka agriculture,' and 'rainfall variability.' A total of 45 sources were reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The review finds that rising temperatures, increasingly erratic rainfall, and more frequent flood events have substantially disrupted traditional farming systems in the basin, particularly paddy cultivation in the lower catchment and plantation agriculture in the upper reaches. Farmers have responded by adjusting cropping calendars, diversifying crops, and shifting to more flood-tolerant varieties, though these adaptations remain constrained by limited institutional support and poor access to credit. A key research gap is the absence of integrated basin-scale models linking climate variability, hydrological change, and field-level land-use decisions. Addressing this gap is essential for developing effective climate-resilient agricultural policies for the Gin River Basin.