Climate Change and Food Security Among Indigenous Tribal Communities of Jharkhand, India

This study examines how climate change interacts with social, ecological, and policy factors to shape food security among Indigenous tribal communities in Jharkhand, focusing on Saraikela Kharsawan district. It combines a scoping review, policy analysis, and a climate–agriculture case study of Saraikela Kharsawan to identify vulnerabilities and pathways for more resilient Indigenous food systems. The research is qualitative, using a scoping review of 28 studies on Indigenous food security and climate impacts in Jharkhand, thematic analysis of nine national and state policies, and a district-level case study using land use, climate trends/projections, and crop statistics for Saraikela Kharsawan. Additionally, findings from participant observation were integrated into how tribal communities in Saraikela Kharsawan experience and respond to climate variability and its implications for local food systems and nutrition. The study identifies a nutrition paradox, where Indigenous communities experience micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia despite rich biodiversity and Indigenous knowledge. This is accompanied by a decrease in the consumption of nutrient-dense Indigenous foods and a predominance of rainfed monoculture rice cultivation. Marked by rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, climate variability is destabilising agroforestry systems, narrowing dietary options and reducing adaptive capacity. Additionally, policy and institutional gaps reveal fragmented support—strong rights laws and calorie-focused welfare schemes but weak integration of Indigenous foods, agroforestry, and traditional ecological knowledge into nutrition and climate programmes. The paper argues that climate change acts as a threat multiplier on already fragile Indigenous food systems and calls for nutrition-sensitive safety nets, community-based agroforestry, gender-inclusive Indigenous knowledge governance, and cross-sectoral policy alignment to support resilient, culturally appropriate food systems in Jharkhand.