Impacts of Climate Change in Agricultureby Prayash Pathak (Chalise) | 19-08-2018 11:59 |
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Direct impacts from Climate change to Agriculture: 1) Increased variability in weather 2) Extreme conditions 3) Sea level rise & surge – inundating & ruining coastal agricultural lands 4) CO2 fertilization Indirect impacts on Agriculture: 1) Changing crop-weed competition dynamics 2) Range changes of pests & pathogens i) Expanded range predicted for many pathogens ii) Less-cold winters allow increase in pests iii) Different range changes between pests & pathogens and natural controls 3) Decreased biodiversity in natural ecosystems •The enhanced greenhouse effect can bring about climate change •While CO2 is the major cause, methane, nitrous oxide also contribute. •Farmers are not innocents in this process but add to the GHGs themselves •Climate change is having a variety of impacts on the world: –Rising temperatures in many places –Changing precipitation patterns, with some places getting wetter and some drier –Extreme events: high winds, heavy rain, drought –Rising sea level brought on by melting icecaps and warming oceans –Rising levels of CO2 which may in some circumstances improve crop yields. The impacts on farming without action are mostly negative: –Hotter and drier places will produce less –As in these places the soil will become poorer –Places liable to saltwater flooding will become unproductive. –Warmer and wetter places are more likely to suffer from disease, lowering the yield. But some benefit like this can also be obtained: –Places in the higher latitudes (nearer the poles) are getting a longer growing season and so can produce more and different things than they have managed before. |
