Review Article

Bihar at the Climate–Development Nexus: Agriculture, Poverty, Migration and Resilience PathwaysRoshan Kumar Mishra¹, ^*Pashupati Nath Singh², Shubha Shivani³ and Rahul Kumar⁴                               

¹Department of Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Birla Institute of Technology Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

²Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

³Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, IIT (BHU), Varanasi, India

⁴College of Agriculture, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi, India

*Corresponding author e-mail: pashupati1110@bhu.ac.in

(Received: 10/03/2026; Revised: 15/05/2026; Accepted: 10/06/2026; Published: 20/06/2026)

ABSTRACT

Bihar, one of India’s most populous and agrarian states, faces a complex convergence of climate vulnerability, agricultural stress, persistent poverty, inadequate sanitation, and large-scale labour migration. These challenges are deeply interconnected and collectively constrain sustainable development, livelihood security, and human well-being. However, existing studies often examine these issues in isolation, limiting understanding of their reinforcing feedback and integrated policy implications. This review synthesizes current evidence on the climate–agriculture–poverty–sanitation–migration nexus in Bihar and proposes a resilience-oriented development framework for the state. A structured literature review approach based on PRISMA principles was adopted using peer-reviewed publications, government reports, and institutional datasets published primarily between 2005 and 2026. Thematic synthesis was conducted across six domains: climate hazards, agricultural systems, poverty and inequality, sanitation and health, migration dynamics, and governance pathways. The review reveals that Bihar’s agricultural economy remains highly vulnerable to recurrent floods in northern districts, drought stress and rainfall variability in southern regions, rising temperatures, fragmented landholdings, weak market integration, and post-harvest inefficiencies. These pressures contribute to unstable farm incomes, indebtedness, and distress migration. Simultaneously, multidimensional poverty, unsafe water, sanitation deficits, nutrition stress, and unequal access to services continue to undermine public health and productivity. Labour migration provides an important coping mechanism through remittances, yet also reflects unresolved structural employment deficits and social vulnerability. The study identifies integrated resilience planning as the most viable pathway for Bihar’s long-term transformation. Priority strategies include climate-smart agriculture, precision irrigation, flood-resilient infrastructure, sanitation modernisation, women-centred livelihood systems, migrant welfare portability, GIS-based vulnerability mapping, digital governance, and district-level resilience indices. Future research should increasingly adopt remote sensing, machine learning, climate-yield modelling, migration forecasting, and participatory planning tools. Overall, Bihar should be viewed not only as a vulnerability hotspot but as a high-potential transition region where coordinated investment, scientific planning, and inclusive governance can generate scalable lessons for climate-resilient development across India and the Global South.

Keywords: Bihar; climate change; agriculture; poverty; sanitation; migration; resilience; sustainable development; rural livelihoods; governance

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