Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
natural resources, alarming increase in human and livestock
population, changing patterns in land use and socio-economic
factors that pose a great threat in meeting the growing food,
fibre, fuel and fodder requirements (Ninan and Bedamatta,
2012). Droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, heavy precipitation
events, hot extremes and heat waves are known to impact agri-
cultural production and farmer's livelihood negatively as all
agricultural commodities even today are sensitive to such vari-
ability. Increasing glacier melt in the Himalayas will change
the availability of irrigation especially in the Indo-Gangetic
plains affecting food production. Further warming is likely
to lead to a loss of 1.6 million tonnes of milk production in
India by 2020 (Ninan and Bedamatta, 2012). Total farm-level
net-revenue loss of 8.4-25% is projected for the country in an
event of 2°C temperature rise along with a 7% precipitation
increase, which will amount to a loss of
*
`81-195 billion (Kavi
Kumar and Parikh, 1998, 2001a; Sanghi et al., 1998; Kavi
Kumar, 2009).
Impacts on
agriculture
Globally
Climate and climatic resources change can affect
agriculture of both developing and developed countries in a
variety of ways (Downing, 1996; Watson et al., 1996; Cline,
2008). Climate change and agriculture are interrelated pro-
cesses, both of which takes place on a global scale (Anonymous,
2007c). Climate change is projected to have significant impacts
on conditions affecting crop and livestock production, includ-
ing temperature, carbon dioxide, glacial run-off, precipitation
hydrologic balances, input supplies, other components of agri-
cultural systems and the interaction of these elements (Adams
et al., 1998; Webster, 2008; Gornall et al., 2010). For example,
crop and livestock yields are directly affected by changes in cli-
matic factors such as temperature and precipitation and the fre-
quency and severity of extreme events such as droughts, floods
and wind storms/tropical cyclones. Beyond a certain range of
temperatures, warming tends to reduce yields because crops
speed through their development, producing less grain in the
process. It was estimated that warming since 1981 has resulted
in annual combined yield losses of 40 million tonnes or US $5
billion (Lobell and Field, 2007).
Higher temperatures also interfere with the ability of plants
to get and use moisture. Evaporation from the soil acceler-
ates when temperatures rise and plants increase transpiration.
These conditions determine the carrying capacity of the bio-
sphere to produce enough food for the human population and
domesticated animals. Despite technological advances such as
