The growing entanglement of small farmers with Global Value Chains (GVCs) has heightened their market vulnerability, a situation further aggravated by the alarming increase in extreme weather events in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, India. Erratic climatic patterns, characterized by fluctuations in rainfall leading to flash floods and droughts, have inflicted significant damage on agricultural land, disrupted cropping cycles, and threatened the viability of community-based smallholder farming systems. Fieldwork conducted in 2020-21 indicated that erratic monsoonal rains triggered flash floods and landslides, resulting in extensive devastation across various districts in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. This destruction, compounded by subsequent drought-like conditions, resulted in widespread crop failures, underscoring farmers' vulnerability to climate-induced shocks.
Inconsistent and inadequate state support has further exposed farmers to the harsh impacts of these climatic extremes. Small farmers—particularly women and those with limited landholdings—are disproportionately affected, often lacking access to formal safety nets. Many have incurred significant debt to cover rising production costs, which have become increasingly unsustainable. The reliance on labor-intensive and input-heavy agricultural practices associated with GVCs has deepened their financial precarity. For some, the combined pressures of climate change and declining agricultural viability have led to migration to nearby urban centers in search of alternative livelihoods.
This paper draws on field observations and interviews conducted in the aftermath of these extreme weather events to examine how the intersection of GVC dependency, climate volatility, and uneven state support exacerbates the socio-economic vulnerabilities of small farmers. By addressing the gendered and structural dimensions of these challenges, I argue that frequent extreme weather events are deepening socio-economic inequalities and transforming agrarian livelihoods within the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
