ABSTRACT

Many inhabitants of the Northeastern region of India (NER) are poor and have to rely on subsistence farming for a livelihood and are therefore vulnerable to negative impacts of climate change. To enhance the resilience of the farmers and the entire agricultural sector of NER, stakeholders need to acquire additional and/or specialized competencies to deal with the negative impacts of climate change. In this study, we systematically identify and prioritize crucial competencies for change agents, farmers and institutions in NER. We used a modified Delphi methodology with several iterations to lead experts towards a consensus about the most pressing competencies for each stakeholder group. The items were prioritized using a composite scoring approach. The findings reveal that for change agents in NER, an open-minded attitude and expertise in linking farmers to markets are highly rated competencies. For the farmers, eco-friendly farming skills and a problem-solving attitude emerged as key competencies. Biodiversity conservation and integrated farming skills are also highly desirable. Concerning the institutions, the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (farm science centers) have to play a priority role in implementing policies promoting sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture, as they are the institutional link to farming communities. The experts are confident that the overall sustainability of the agricultural sector in NER can be considerably enhanced by developing these key competencies.

抽象的

印度东北地区（NER）的许多居民都很贫穷，不得不依靠自给自足的农业谋生，因此很容易受到气候变化的负面影响。为了增强NER的农民和整个农业部门的应变能力，利益相关者需要获得额外的和/或专门的能力来应对气候变化的负面影响。在这项研究中，我们系统地确定了NER的变革推动者，农民和机构的关键能力，并对其进行了优先排序。我们使用了经过改进的Delphi方法，并进行了多次迭代，以使专家们就每个利益相关者群体的最紧迫能力达成共识。使用综合评分方法确定项目的优先级。调查结果表明，对于NER中的变革推动者，在将农民与市场联系起来方面的开放态度和专业知识是高度评价的能力。对于农民来说，生态友好型农业技能和解决问题的态度已成为关键能力。保护生物多样性和综合农业技能也非常可取。关于机构，Krishi Vigyan Kendras（农业科学中心）必须在实施促进可持续和耐气候变化的农业的政策方面发挥优先作用，因为它们是与农业社区的制度联系。专家们有信心，通过发展这些关键能力，可以大大提高NER农业部门的整体可持续性。