Post by Trade facilitator on Nov 16, 2017 22:17:03 GMT 1
Climate Change has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today. The patterns of climate play an essential role in shaping natural ecosystems, and the human economies and cultures that depend on them. But the climate we have come to meet is different from what it used to be since the past may not be a reliable prognosticator of the future. A report by the department of ecology, the State of Washington states that, “our climate is rapidly changing with disruptive impacts, and that change is progressing faster than any seen in the last 2,000 years”
Impacts Of Climate Change On Agriculture
Several literatures have been developed on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, primarily focusing on the vulnerability of the sector. The general message from such literatures is that, the degree of vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change is contingent on a wide range of local environmental and management factors. Climate uncertainty represents an additional problem that farmers have to address. Climate change thus represents an additional
burden that farmers translates into production risks associated with crop yields, probabilities of extreme events, timing of field operations, and timing of investments in new technologies.
The unimpeded growth of greenhouse gas emissions is raising the earth's temperature. The consequences include melting glaciers, more precipitation, extreme weather events, and shifting seasons. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, threaten food security everywhere since agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change.
Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and pest proliferation. Changes in precipitation patterns increase the likelihood of short-run crop failures and long-run production declines. Although there will be gains in some crops in some regions of the world, the overall impacts of climate change on agriculture are expected to be negative, threatening global food security. We have the answers to the basic necessities of life which include food, clothing, and shelter in agriculture. Millions of employment opportunities are also available in the sector with a connotation that a country with a good agricultural practice has a strong economy. Alas, globally, the agricultural sector is currently being threatened by climate change.
Populations in the developing world, which are already vulnerable and food insecure, are likely to be the most seriously affected. In 2005, nearly half of the economically active population in developing countries—2.5 billion people—relied on agriculture for its livelihood. Today, 75 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas (World Bank: 2015). There is obviously a need to study the relationship between climate and agriculture, particularly the atmosphere, where all plants life take place
Climate change (in terms of long-term changes in mean temperature or precipitation), has gradually been recognised as an additional factor which have a significant weight on the form, scale, spatial and temporal impact on agricultural productivity. Some impacts are expected to be adverse; others, favourable. Impacts of climate variability and change on the agricultural sector are projected to steadily manifest directly from changes in land and water regimes, the likely primary channels of change. Changes in the frequency and intensity of droughts, flooding, and storm damage are expected. Climate change is expected to result in long-term water and other resource shortages, worsening soil conditions, drought and desertification, disease and pest outbreaks on crops and livestock, sea-level rise, and so on. Vulnerable areas are expected to experience losses in agricultural productivity, primarily due to reductions in crop yields.
Reports have suggested that agriculture in developing countries would be worst hit by climate change. This is considered environmentally unjust by scholars for two reasons: First, subsistence farmers in developing countries are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change. Second, these nations were the least responsible for causing the problem of anthropogenic induced climate. In fact, in Africa, it was projected by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that climate variability and change would severely compromise agricultural production and access to food. This projection was assigned "high confidence."
Africa's geography makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, and seventy per cent of the population rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. Tanzania's official report on climate change suggests that the areas that usually get two rainfalls in the year will probably get more, and those that get only one rainy season will get far less. This would be true of African and Latin American countries thereby heightening the world's food insecurity.
Impacts Of Climate Change On Agriculture
Several literatures have been developed on the impacts of climate change on agriculture, primarily focusing on the vulnerability of the sector. The general message from such literatures is that, the degree of vulnerability of the agricultural sector to climate change is contingent on a wide range of local environmental and management factors. Climate uncertainty represents an additional problem that farmers have to address. Climate change thus represents an additional
burden that farmers translates into production risks associated with crop yields, probabilities of extreme events, timing of field operations, and timing of investments in new technologies.
The unimpeded growth of greenhouse gas emissions is raising the earth's temperature. The consequences include melting glaciers, more precipitation, extreme weather events, and shifting seasons. The accelerating pace of climate change, combined with global population and income growth, threaten food security everywhere since agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change.
Higher temperatures eventually reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and pest proliferation. Changes in precipitation patterns increase the likelihood of short-run crop failures and long-run production declines. Although there will be gains in some crops in some regions of the world, the overall impacts of climate change on agriculture are expected to be negative, threatening global food security. We have the answers to the basic necessities of life which include food, clothing, and shelter in agriculture. Millions of employment opportunities are also available in the sector with a connotation that a country with a good agricultural practice has a strong economy. Alas, globally, the agricultural sector is currently being threatened by climate change.
Populations in the developing world, which are already vulnerable and food insecure, are likely to be the most seriously affected. In 2005, nearly half of the economically active population in developing countries—2.5 billion people—relied on agriculture for its livelihood. Today, 75 percent of the world's poor live in rural areas (World Bank: 2015). There is obviously a need to study the relationship between climate and agriculture, particularly the atmosphere, where all plants life take place
Climate change (in terms of long-term changes in mean temperature or precipitation), has gradually been recognised as an additional factor which have a significant weight on the form, scale, spatial and temporal impact on agricultural productivity. Some impacts are expected to be adverse; others, favourable. Impacts of climate variability and change on the agricultural sector are projected to steadily manifest directly from changes in land and water regimes, the likely primary channels of change. Changes in the frequency and intensity of droughts, flooding, and storm damage are expected. Climate change is expected to result in long-term water and other resource shortages, worsening soil conditions, drought and desertification, disease and pest outbreaks on crops and livestock, sea-level rise, and so on. Vulnerable areas are expected to experience losses in agricultural productivity, primarily due to reductions in crop yields.
Reports have suggested that agriculture in developing countries would be worst hit by climate change. This is considered environmentally unjust by scholars for two reasons: First, subsistence farmers in developing countries are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change. Second, these nations were the least responsible for causing the problem of anthropogenic induced climate. In fact, in Africa, it was projected by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that climate variability and change would severely compromise agricultural production and access to food. This projection was assigned "high confidence."
Africa's geography makes it particularly vulnerable to climate change, and seventy per cent of the population rely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. Tanzania's official report on climate change suggests that the areas that usually get two rainfalls in the year will probably get more, and those that get only one rainy season will get far less. This would be true of African and Latin American countries thereby heightening the world's food insecurity.
