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In Maharashtra, a large state in central India that is home to nearly 100 million people, agriculture accounts for 60 percent of employment, most of it in small-scale and marginal farming. But the region’s agriculture depends on rainfall for much of its water supply, and even a small dip in precipitation can put millions of people’s food security at risk. In a drought year, a third of the state’s food grain production may be lost, with severe impact on the small-scale farmers– most of whom have no reserves to see them through lean years. Climate change could worsen these losses significantly within a generation. For example, scenario analysis in this report suggests droughts that historically have occurred once every 25 years might now take place as frequently as every 8 years.

Since the adoption of Agenda 21 following the United Nations Conference on Environment and development in 1992, this report constitutes the first opportunity for Samoa to assess its situation with regard to sustainable development in the past decade.