Enhancing climate resilience of migrant and vulnerable households in the coastal areas of Odisha and drought-prone areas of Telangana

Objectives: To enhance the resilience of vulnerable rural households to climate change in areas at risk of climate-induced migration and make migration an informed choice.

Description: Climate change and environmental degradation increasingly affect human mobility by magnifying existing socio-economic drivers and exacerbating vulnerability. According to the Global Climate Risk Index, in 2019 India was the world’s seventh most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change. In 2020-21, more than 3 million people in India were forced to leave their homes as result of weather events.1 Estimates suggest that climate-induced migration from the country can reach 45 million people by 2050.2 The states of Odisha and Telangana are among the most vulnerable in India to the impacts of climate change. In both states a significant proportion of the population relies on climate-sensitive activities such as agriculture. Yet they present diverse migration dynamics given their different socio-economic and agroecological contexts.

The joint programme (JP) between FAO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM – UN Migration) is supported by the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMPTF) and is being implemented in Odisha and Telangana at the intersection of migration, agriculture, and climate change. MMPTF is the only UN financing mechanism fully dedicated to supporting joint initiatives of Member States, the UN system and other stakeholders in the national implementation of the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). This three-year JP addresses the interlinking issues around migration, agriculture, climate change, and the integration of individuals who migrated to or returned to rural communities in India.

The JP is aligned with GCM Objectives 2, 3, 7 and 19 by providing targeted support to rural households to mitigate the impact of climate change therefore reducing the pressure to migrate (Objective 2); by enhancing access to information to safe and orderly migration that will improve migration outcomes and reduce vulnerabilities for both migrants and their families (Objective 3, 7); and by harnessing the potential of migration to contribute to sustainable development and climate change adaptation through improved investments of remittances and transfer of skills and knowledge (Objective 19). The programme directly contributes to SDG targets 1.5, 2.4, 8.8 and 13.1 by strengthening the capacity of rural households and reduce their vulnerabilities to climate change; by generating decent employment opportunities for women, youth, returnee migrants and other vulnerable groups in rural areas and promoting green agribusinesses, while also contributing to build climate-resilient, sustainable and inclusive food systems that deliver food security and nutrition for all. The JP also closely aligns with UNSDCF outcomes 4, 5 and 6.

Donor: Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMPTF)

Expected Outputs:

• Households have skills and better access to resources, finance and technology to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices for building resilient livelihoods
• Improved access to information on safe and regular migration and on climate-smart agriculture through both static and mobile Migration Resource Centres (MRCs)
• Enhanced policy and programme coherence, multisectoral collaboration and cross-learnings in the interconnected areas of climate change, migration, agriculture and rural development.

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