Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Specific significant considerations
throughout scheming of a BC/MAS
structure
432
Efficiency of MAS
433
Recent advances in MAS strategies and
genotyping techniques
434
17.5 Conclusions
436
References
436
Abstract
Climate change threatens not only the yields and liveli-
hoods of traditional farmers, but also the ability of agri-
culturalists worldwide. In addition to the challenge of
abiotic stresses such as temperature extremes (hot and
cold), drought or water stress, the incidence and sever-
ity of biotic stresses such as pests, diseases and the inva-
sion of alien weed species are also likely to be greater.
Several strategies for adaptation to climate change have
been proposed to address crop productivity. One strategy
emphasises changing cultural practices. A second strat-
egy involves adopting methods to increase the resilience
of agro-ecosystems to environmental variability.
17.1
Introduction
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the weather
patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years.
It is caused by factors that include oceanic processes, varia-
tions in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics and
volcanic eruptions, and human-induced alterations of the natu-
ral world. Global climate change is likely to increase the prob-
lems of food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition for millions
of people throughout the world. A recent report shows that the
global maize yield reduced by 3.8% between 1980 and 2010
due to climate change (Lobell et al. 2011). The mechanisms
that threaten the crop yield do not affect farmers evenly. The
local landraces mostly grown by subfarmers contribute little
carbon emission into the atmosphere and they tend to be vul-
nerable to climatic flux (Monterroso et al. 2011). Small farmers
who grow a wide variety of landraces serve as custodians of
crop diversity; their vulnerabilities have implications for the
in situ
conservation of diverse crop landraces (Bellon et al.
2011). A study said that agro-biodiversity remains the main
