Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
climate. Better models of agricultural systems can assess climate change
impacts and more reliably explore and improve adaptation options.
Monitoring and evaluation systems are needed to track changes in climate,
impacts on agriculture, and the effectiveness of adaptation measures, to
help decide when to implement particular options and to refi ne them over
time. Policy and management decisions require timely inclusion of climate
information as it becomes available, as well as closer collaboration
between policy makers, managers, researchers, extension agencies, and
farmers.
Keywords
Improved crop seeds Livestock and fi sh cultures Crop production
adaptation Water adaptation Agro-forestry Pest management
Livestock adaptation Energy adaptation Early warning systems Crop
insurance schemes Livelihood diversifi cation Access to information
Adaptation is defi ned as a response to actual or
expected climate stimuli or their effects, which
moderates harm or exploits benefi cial opportuni-
ties. In human systems, adaptation can be both
anticipatory and reactive and can be implemented
by public or private actors (UNDP
2007
/2008).
Adaptation refers to efforts by society or eco-
systems to prepare for or adjust to future climate
change. These adjustments can be protective (i.e.,
guarding against negative impacts of climate
change) or opportunistic (i.e., taking advantage
of any benefi cial effects of climate change).
Adaptation is changing activities and processes
in order to lessen negative impacts of climate
change that is already taking place, and to open
the agricultural sector to new opportunities that
might arise from a changing climate.
Historically agriculture has shown a consider-
able ability to adapt to changing climatic condi-
tions, whether these have stemmed from
alterations in resource availability, technology, or
economics. Many adaptations occur autono-
mously and without the need for conscious
response by farmers and agricultural planners
(Brooks et al.
2013
).
To deal with the impact of climate change, the
potential adaptation strategies are: developing
cultivars tolerant to heat and salinity stress and
resistant to fl ood and drought, modifying crop
management practices, improving water manage-
ment, adopting new farm techniques such as
resource-conserving technologies (RCTs), crop
diversifi cation, improving pest management, bet-
ter weather forecasting and crop insurance, and
harnessing the indigenous technical knowledge
of farmers.
Easterling et al. (
2007
) describe a range of
options, at the level of autonomous adaptation,
for cropping and livestock systems:
Use of different varieties or species with
greater resistance to heat or water stress, or
adapted phenology (maturation times and
responses)
New cropping practices, including adjustments
in timing and locality of crop production, and
changed water and fertilizer management to
maintain yield quality and quantity
Greater use of water conservation technolo-
gies, including those to harvest water and con-
serve soil moisture, or, in fl ood-prone areas,
water management to prevent water logging,
erosion, and nutrient leaching
Diversifi cation of on-farm activities and
enhancement of agrobiodiversity, with greater
integration between livestock and cropping
systems
Adapted livestock and pasture management,
including rematching stocking rates and tim-
ing with pasture production, new varieties and
species of forage and livestock, updated fertil-
izer applications, and using supplementary
feeds and concentrates
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