Drought proofing strategies by farmers in southern India

Based on a study of 120 farmers from four districts in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, India, this report surveys the range of measures farmers adopt in response to droughts. The authors find that despite significant negative externalities, farmers assign higher priority to drilling new wells rather than investing in water conservation structures or demand management strategies. The authors estimate that adoption of drip irrigation and purchase of tanker water for providing life-saving irrigation yield the highest financial returns and suggest considering reuse of municipal waste water as a drought mitigation strategy.