In the Economics of Climate Adaptation Working Group’s report called Shaping Climate-Resilient Development, the group researched the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is India’s second largest state and is home to Mumbai, the second-most populous city in the world with about 14 million residents.

Researchers evaluated the loss associated with drought in this region, which amounts to 30 percent of the state’s food and grain production – even without climate change. This loss would severely impact the 15 million small and marginal farmers. 

By 2030, a significant drought could lead to a countrywide agricultural loss of more than $7 billion, and impact the income of ten percent of the population. With droughts historically occurring every 25 years, extreme climate change could change that to once every eight years. 

The case study determined a number of measures that could protect crop production and farmers’ incomes in Maharashtra including expanded drip and sprinkler irrigation, drainage construction, improved soil techniques, and crop engineering. In fact, Maharashtra can eliminate much of its expected drought loss by 2030 through low-cost measures with benefits that often exceed their cost.