With reference to the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:

1. Diversification of livelihoods acts as a coping strategy for climate change.

2. Adoption of monocropping practice leads to the extinction of plant varieties and their wild relatives.

Which of the above assumptions is/are valid?

The correct option is Both 1 and 2.

Detailed Analysis of the Assumptions:

1. Analysis of Assumption 1 (Diversification of livelihoods as a coping strategy):
Climate change introduces high levels of uncertainty, characterized by erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, and shifting temperature regimes. Communities that rely solely on a single climate-sensitive livelihood, such as rain-fed monoculture, face severe risks of complete income and food insecurity when crop failures occur. Livelihood diversification involves spreading economic activities across different sectors (e.g., combining agriculture with animal husbandry, poultry, agroforestry, non-farm labor, or local crafts). This acts as a risk-mitigation or buffer mechanism, ensuring that if one economic activity fails due to climatic shocks, others can sustain the household. Thus, diversification of livelihoods is a logically valid coping strategy for climate change.

2. Analysis of Assumption 2 (Monocropping leading to extinction of plant varieties):
Monocropping refers to the agricultural practice of growing a single crop species repeatedly on the same land. While it can maximize short-term yield efficiency, it replaces diverse traditional cropping systems that feature multiple crop varieties. By prioritizing only a few commercial seed varieties, local landraces and native crop varieties are systematically phased out and neglected. Furthermore, the expansion of intensive monoculture encroaches upon natural ecosystems, destroying the habitats of wild relatives of cultivated plants. Over time, this loss of genetic diversity and habitat leads to the permanent loss and extinction of indigenous plant varieties and their wild relatives. Thus, this assumption is also valid.

Since both Assumption 1 and Assumption 2 are logically sound and correct, the valid option is Both 1 and 2.