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The incidence of droughts and their intensity in recent times are affected by climatic variability and change, consequently affecting the agro-based economy of red and laterite zone (RLZ) India. In the present study, changing characteristics of meteorological droughts have been investigated over the sub-humid RLZ of West Bengal, India, using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). SPI and SPEI were computed over 1-, 3-, and 12-month time scales from monthly meteorological data from 1930 to 2019 to explore variations in drought frequency, intensity, duration, and spatial extent in the RLZ. It was observed that since the 1990s, the RLZ has been frequently affected by short-term extreme to severe drought, even in the wet-monsoon months. The frequency and intensity of droughts were observed to have increased in the recent period with a decrease in the duration. The Mann–Kendall test on the drought trend analysis of the region indicated a rising trend in monsoon months. The SPEI-monsoon was found to be more significantly correlated (r2 = 0.65) with the rainfed Kharif (monsoon)-rice production anomaly than the SPI. SPEI appeared to have a more pronounced impact on drought incidences in the region over the recent decades. Field surveys were conducted to validate the two recent drought occurrences and associated crop failure. A total of 95% of the farmers in the survey reported crop failure during the short-term meteorological droughts in monsoon months. It is therefore suggested to monitor changing patterns and extent of droughts, particularly in water-scarce RLZs, to design appropriate drought preparedness planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of land suitability for rain-fed cultivation in undulating terrains of red and lateritic zones (RLZ) is essential to enhancing agricultural productivity, given the recurrent droughts that are taking place due to the ongoing climate change. In this study, a GIS-based multi-criterion decision-making approach characterized the agricultural land suitability in Kashipur and Chhatna blocks (RLZs) of West Bengal, India. The land suitability analysis included multiple factors like slope, land use/cover, soil moisture, erosion, depth, texture, pH, geology, the proximity of the surface, and groundwater. The analytic hierarchical process assigned the weights of multiple criteria. The relative importance of agricultural potentiality decided the ranks of the subcriteria. This study mapped the spatial distribution of four potential land types, viz., unsuitable (8.52%), marginally suitable (41.58%), moderately suitable (38.22%), and highly suitable (11.69%). An error matrix generated an accuracy of 85% (on comparing the agricultural land suitability map with the ground data), and the kappa coefficient was 0.8. The findings indicated that the present methodology using AHP with supplemented parameterization provided more persuasive consequences to assess agricultural land use. The present study would optimize the yield by conserving soil and water in different agricultural land to reduce drought risk in RLZs. Highlights: Agricultural land suitability has been evaluated using GIS and AHP-based multi-criteria decision-making process in existing agricultural land for enhancing production in a sustainable way. Results have been validated by rigorous field surveys. The superior accuracy of field verification recommended that the present methodology will perform as an important tool for small land holding farmers in drought-prone undulating RLZ of India. Systematic cropping practices and water harvest management based on agricultural land suitability were discussed, which can help reduce soil erosion and drought impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]