Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
15.1 INTRODUCTION
Climate change is one of the burning and complex problems facing man-
kind today. The overriding complexity of the problem is attributed to its
deeper global consequence on a vast range of issues impacting the very
survival of life on Earth. Climate change is defined as any long-term sig-
nificant change in the “average weather” that a given region experiences
or in other words it is the shift in the average statistics of weather for
long-term at a specific time for a specific region. Average weather may
include temperature, precipitation and wind patterns. It involves changes
in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over durations rang-
ing from decades to millions of years. These changes can be caused by
dynamic process on earth, external forces including variations in sunlight
intensity and by human activities. Climate change in the usage of the In-
tergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) refers to 'a change in
the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., using statistical tests) by
changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties that persists for
an extended period, typically for decades or longer. It refers to any change
in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of hu-
man activity' (IPCC, 2007).
Since climate is a direct input into the agricultural production process,
the agricultural sector has been a natural focus for research. Vulnerability to
climate change may be greater in the developing world, as in India, where
agriculture typically plays a larger economic role and where poverty and
agriculture are both salient. Climate change is likely to reduce agricultural
yields significantly, and that this damage could be severe unless adaptation
to higher temperatures is rapid and complete. The most imminent climatic
changes in recent times is the increase in the atmospheric temperatures
due to increased levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO
2
),
methane (CH
4
), ozone (O
3
), nitrous oxide (N
2
O) and chlorofluoro carbons
(CFCs). Because of the increasing concentrations of those radiative or
greenhouse gases, there is much concern about future changes in our cli-
mate and direct or indirect effect on agriculture (Garg et al., 2001; IPCC,
2001; Krupa, 2003; Aggarwal, 2003; Mall et al., 2006). In recent years,
with the growing recognition of the possibility of global climate change,
an increasing emphasis on world food security in general and its regional
impacts in particular have come to forefront of the scientific community.
Crop growth, development, water use and yield under normal conditions
