ABSTRACT
Climate change (CC) is an universal fact now. Its impact is experienced across the globe; however, tropical developing countries are more vulnerable. The impacts on different sectors are discussed. Majority of the poor population in these countries are rural and smallholders with agriculture as primary occupation. These countries depend more on natural resources and weather dependent agriculture from marginal land holding. The smallholders have low adaptive capacity due to poverty, isolation, marginality, inaccessible to information, illiteracy, lack of institutions, investment, and services, neglect 170by policymakers and lower human development. Rising temperature, changes in duration and intensity of precipitation associated with CC will significantly reduce farm productivity. This will lead to decline in net revenues from smallholder farming systems adversely affecting economies and livelihoods of the communities in terms of food security and poverty. Unfortunately, agricultural policy is still not well defined and socially integrated with respect to CC mitigation in the developing countries. As a result implementation of these policies is fraught with socio-economic and political difficulties. Social dimensions relate climate related policy and society. Policies must be developed and adopted considering social dimensions as adoption depend on people. This is possible by good governance that transforms and integrates social and economic interventions by empowering people through participation and decision making throughout the development process while equally sharing the benefits. Institutions should be responsible to empower people through holistic approaches so that people can transform themselves for overall sustainable development.
