Climate Change and Agri

Climate Change
and Agriculture
Alona T. Nieva
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical
distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to
millions of years.
- wikipedia-
Climate change is a long term alteration in global weather patterns,
especially increases in temperature and storm activity.
http://earthhour.org/page/about/what-climate-change
Climate Change
Climate change is brought about by the build-up of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere, which significantly changes the normal or expected
weather patterns and conditions in a specific region of the Earth.
http://www.onehotearth.com/what-is-climate-change.html
The history of the scientific discovery of climate
change began in the early 19th century when ice
ages and other natural changes in paleoclimate were
first suspected and the natural greenhouse effect first
identified.
In the late 19th century, scientists first argued that
human emissions of greenhouse gases could change the
climate, but the calculations were disputed. Many
other theories of climate change were advanced,
involving forces from volcanism to solar variation.
In the 1960s, the warming effect of carbon dioxide
gas became increasingly convincing, although some
scientists also pointed out that human activities, in the
form of atmospheric aerosols (e.g., "pollution"), could
have cooling effects as well.
During the 1970s, scientific opinion increasingly favored the
warming viewpoint.
By the 1990s, as a result of improving fidelity of computer models
and observational work confirming the Milankovitch theory of the
ice ages, a consensus position formed: greenhouse gases were deeply
involved in most climate changes, and human emissions were
bringing serious global warming.
Agriculture, also called farming or husbandry, is the cultivation of
animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms for food, fiber, biofuel and
other products used to sustain human life.
Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human
civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food
surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization.
Climate Change and Agriculture
Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes, both of
which take place on a global scale
Global warming is projected to have significant impacts on
conditions affecting agriculture, including temperature, carbon
dioxide, glacial run-off, precipitation and the interaction of these
elements
Climate Change and Agriculture
These conditions determine the carrying capacity of the biosphere to
produce enough food for the human population and domesticated
animals.
Assessment of the effects of global climate changes on agriculture
might help to properly anticipate and adapt farming to maximize
agricultural production
General Effects of Climate Change in Agriculture
productivity, in terms of quantity and quality of crops
agricultural practices, through changes of water use
(irrigation) and agricultural inputs such as herbicides,
insecticides and fertilizers
environmental effects, in particular in relation of frequency and
intensity of soil drainage (leading to nitrogen leaching), soil
erosion, reduction of crop diversity
rural space, through the loss and gain of cultivated
lands, land speculation, land renunciation, and hydraulic
amenities.
adaptation, organisms may become more or less
competitive, as well as humans may develop urgency to
develop more competitive organisms, such as flood resistant
or salt resistant varieties of rice.
General Effects of Climate Change in Agriculture
Effects of Climate Change in Agriculture
Effects on quantity and quality
is essential to plant growth. Rising CO2
concentration in the atmosphere can have both positive and negative
consequences.
quantity
Carbon dioxide
Increased CO2 is expected to have positive physiological effects by
increasing the rate of photosynthesis
The effects of an increase in carbon dioxide would be higher on C3 crops
(such as wheat) than on C4 crops (such as maize), because the former is
more susceptible to carbon dioxide shortage.
quantity
Studies have shown that increased CO2 leads to fewer stomata developing
on plants which leads to reduced water usage.

Under optimum conditions of temperature and humidity, the yield
increase could reach 36%, if the levels of carbon dioxide are doubled.
quality
According to the IPCC's TAR, "The importance of climate change
impacts on grain and forage quality emerges from new research. For rice,
the amylose content of the graina major determinant of cooking
qualityis increased under elevated CO2" (Conroy et al., 1994).
Cooked rice grain from plants grown in high-CO2 environments would
be firmer than that from today's plants.
quality
However, concentrations of iron and zinc, which are important for
human nutrition, would be lower (Seneweera and Conroy, 1997).
Moreover, the protein content of the grain
decreases under combined increases of
temperature and CO
2
(Ziska et al., 1997)
quality
Studies have shown that higher CO
2
levels lead to reduced plant uptake
of nitrogen (and a smaller number showing the same for trace elements
such as zinc) resulting in
Reduced nitrogen content in
grazing plants has also been
shown to reduce animal
productivity in sheep, which
depend on microbes in their gut
to digest plants, which in turn
depend on nitrogen intake.
Agricultural surfaces and climate changes
Climate change may increase the amount of arable land
in high-latitude region by reduction of the amount of
frozen lands.
A 2005 study reports that temperature in Siberia has increased three degree
Celsius in average since 1960 (much more than the rest of the world).
However, reports about the impact of global warming on Russian agriculture
indicate conflicting probable effects : while they expect a northward
extension of farmable lands, they also warn of possible productivity losses
and increased risk of drought.
salinity
Sea levels are expected to get up
Low lying areas
Bangladesh
India
Vietnam
warmer atmospheric
temperature
extreme rainfall events
Hydraulic cycle
Soil erosion
However, because the ratio of carbon to nitrogen is a constant, a doubling of
carbon is likely to imply a higher storage of nitrogen in soils as nitrates, thus
providing higher fertilizing elements for plants, providing better yields. The
average needs for nitrogen could decrease, and give the opportunity of changing
often costly fertilization strategies.
greater risks of erosion
weeds would undergo the same acceleration of cycle as cultivated
crops
Global warming would cause an increase in rainfall in some areas, which would
lead to an increase of atmospheric humidity and the duration of the wet seasons.
Combined with higher temperatures, these could favor the development of
fungal diseases. Similarly, because of higher temperatures and humidity, there
could be an increased pressure from insects and disease vectors.
Impact of Agriculture on Climate Change
El Nio effects on agriculture
Impact of agriculture on climate change
The agricultural sector is a driving force in the gas emissions and
land use effects thought to cause climate change.
Livestock and livestock-related activities such as deforestation and increasingly
fuel-intensive farming practices are responsible for over 18% of human-made
greenhouse gas emissions

Climate Change and Agri

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