Climate Change and Its Impact on Agriculture

Latief Ahmad, M.S.Mir and K.N.Singh

Introduction:

Climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. Our climate is changing day by day and these changes are due to two main reasons, the first and the foremost is due to emissions of green house gases to atmosphere, intervention of human activities such as burning of fossil fuels and agricultural activities has increased the amount of green house gases in atmosphere in recent times.

Despite several negative impacts, there are a few beneficial aspects of enhanced green house gas effects e.g. higher atmospheric concentration of CO2 may enhance the crop production of rice, wheat and soybean.

Climate change impact on Agriculture:

Agriculture is the major land use across the globe. Agriculture production is highly dependent on climate since crop growth is influenced by solar radiation, temperature and precipitation. Agriculture is also sensitive to climatic variability and weather extremes (drought, floods, and severe storms)

Climate change is projected to have an effect on local agriculture and the net result could be harmful e.g. frequent droughts, salinization of agriculture land or beneficial e.g enhance CO2 and higher yield, longer growing season, increased precipitation. Though climate change due to green house gas emission could cause several effects on agriculture production but agriculture sector itself is responsible for global green house gas emission contributing about 25% carbon ( due to deforestation), 50% methane ( due to rice and livestock production)75% nitrous oxide ( due to use of nitrogen fertilizers).

Factors relating to future Agriculture Production:

Several factors are directly related to climatic change and agricultural productivity including:

Increase of average temperature
Rising of atmospheric temperature
Precipitation , Water ability and irrigation
Change in climate variability and extreme events
Rises in sea level
Pests and disease

Adaptation measures:

There are many adaptation options available to counter act projected climatic impacts on agriculture. These include use of heat/drought tolerant and salt tolerant crops for greater tolerance to heat stress. The other measures that may be considered are better farm management practices, diversification of crop cultivars, shifting cropping seasons and improved farm technologies. The adaptation measures would significantly improve gross domestic product.

Use of more heat/drought tolerant crop varieties
Use of more disease and pest tolerant crop varieties
Altered application of nutrients/fertilizers
Altered application of insecticides/pesticides
Introduce higher yielding, early maturing crop varieties in cold regions
Change planting date to effectively use the prolonged growing season and irrigation.
Altering amounts and timings of irrigation and other water management pracics.
Develop adaptive management strategy at farm levels.

Conclusion:

Crop cultivation could be significantly affected by climate change with regard to crop cultivation, variation in climatic parameters are projected to have a notable consequences of crops.

The good sign of climate change is for colder regions like Ladakh where agriculture production may be increased and decrease production in warmer regions. The likely impacts of climate change on agriculture would vary from country to country due to its geographical locations.

Currently IRRI is working to develop drought tolerant maize, wheat and beans; drought-escaping rice or water proof rice. It would be essential to adopt new techniques and management approach to compensate for the negative impacts of climate changes. Water conservation technology, integrated water resource management, use of adaptive crop varieties, improved seed including hybrids, efficient use of fertilizer, irrigation and crop diversification may reduce he likely impacts of climate changes. Selection of naturally hardy food crops ( barley, cassava, millets and sorghum) which are widely grown in warmer climate or breeding of heat and drought resistant crop may be better adopted to new climatic and atmospheric conditions is required.

An awareness campaign about the need to follow the diversification of crops to cope with new situations may also be required.

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Authors:
Latief Ahmad, M.S.Mir and K.N.Singh
Regional Agricultural Research Station
KVK-SKUAS(K) Leh Ladakh-194101
Email: electricdream2003@yahoo.co.in

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