Climate Resilient Agriculture for Ensuring Food Security

387 Pages·2015·8.36 MB·English

by  P. Parvatha Reddy

P. Parvatha Reddy
Climate Resilient
Agriculture for
Ensuring Food
Security
Climate Resilient Agriculture for Ensuring
Food Security

P. Parvatha Reddy
Climate Resilient
Agriculture for Ensuring
Food Security
P. Parvatha Reddy
Indian Institute of Horticultural Research
Bangalore, Karnataka, India
ISBN 978-81-322-2198-2 ISBN 978-81-322-2199-9 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2199-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014957861
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Foreword
Dr. Prem Nath Agricultural Science Foundation
To promote agricultural education, research and sustainable development
with focus on food and nutrition security
No. 9, 1st Cross, 1st Main, 1st Block, Rajmahal Vilas Extension 2nd Stage,
Bangalore 560 094, Kamataka State, India
Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; E-mail: drpremnath@vsnLnet
Dr. Prem Nath
Chairman, PNASF
Chairperson, VEGINET
Former Asst. Director General,
Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN)
We do not know which came fi rst on earth whether food or human being.
But it is true that human beings cannot survive without food and food can be
produced by following suitable agriculture which is entirely dependent on
natural resources and climate. The climate change has been there since
centuries but was not noticed as it is done today. Today the visible effect of
change in climate is affecting both the production of food and the healthy life
of human beings.
Climate change is one of the greatest ecological, economic, and social
challenges which we are facing today. The scientifi c evidence that human
activities are contributing to climate change is compelling. The anthropogenic
activities are resulting in an increased emission of radiatively active gases,
viz. carbon dioxide (CO ) , methane (CH ) and nitrous oxide (N O), popularly
2 4 2
known as the “greenhouse gases” (GHGs). Increase of mean temperature;
changes in rain patterns; increased variability both in temperature and rain
patterns; changes in water availability; the frequency and intensity of “extreme
natural events”; sea level rise and salinization; perturbations in ecosystems,
all will have profound impacts on agriculture, forestry and fi sheries. Climatic
changes and increasing climatic variability are likely to aggravate the problem
of future food security by exerting pressure on agriculture.
T o cope up with climate change that is likely to be both rapid and
unpredictable, agricultural systems must be resilient and able to adapt to change.
Resilient agriculture systems are those that are more likely to maintain economic,
ecological and social benefi ts in the face of dramatic exogenous changes such
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vi Foreword
as climate change and price swings. In the light of possible global warming,
plant breeders should probably place even more emphasis on development of
heat and drought-resistant crops. Both crop architecture and physiology may
be genetically altered to adapt to warmer environmental conditions. At the
national and international levels, the needs of regions and people vulnerable
to the effects of climate change on their food supply should be addressed.
I t is essential to envisage experimental models for each of the climate
change components.
I nformation obtained from climate change studies can help us to predict
which components are most likely to become more problematic in the future.
Modeling can never be a perfect science, but unless we fi gure out a way to
build planets identical to earth on which to perform experiments, the virtual
planets they describe will remain the best available laboratories for studying
future climate change.
Climate change adaptation and mitigation in the agriculture sector will
have to be pursued in the context of meeting projected global food production
demands. Although there are practices that hold great potential for meeting
both needs, there is as yet neither international agreement nor national policy
framework within which to operate. Given this situation, early action holds
great potential for countries to take positive action in the short run that can
unfold national and international policy, fi nance, and science inputs required.
Potential confl icts with the international trading system can be addressed
with the continued maturation of global climate policy.
T he present book written by Dr. P. Parvatha Reddy on Climate Resilient
Agriculture for Ensuring Food Security provides some of the much needed
information collected from some of the world’s leading climate scientists.
The book comprehensively deals with important aspects on climate change
such as causes of climate change; agriculture as a source of greenhouse gases;
impacts of climate change on agriculture; regional impacts; impact on crop
protection (insect and mite pests, plant pathogens, nematodes, and weeds);
adaptation; mitigation; and a road map ahead. Dr. Reddy deserves commen-
dation for his hard work in bringing out this excellent contribution to the
science of climate change in agriculture.
This book will be of immense value to policy makers, scientifi c community
involved in teaching, research and extension activities. The material can also
be used for teaching postgraduate courses.
Bangalore, India Dr. Prem Nath
June 18, 2014
Prefa ce
Agriculture is the basic activity by which humans live and survive on the
earth. Climate change is one of the greatest ecological, economic, and social
challenges facing agriculture today. The scientifi c evidence that human
activities are contributing to climate change is compelling, but society is
increasingly seeking information about the nature of the evidence and what can
be done in response to a changing climate. Climatic changes and increasing
climatic variability are likely to aggravate the problem of future food security
by exerting pressure on agriculture.
For the past some decades, the gaseous composition of earth’s atmosphere
is undergoing a signifi cant change, largely through increased emissions from
energy, industry and agriculture sectors; widespread deforestation as well as
fast changes in land use and land management practices. These anthropogenic
activities are resulting in an increased emission of radiatively active gases,
viz. carbon dioxide (CO ) , methane (CH ) and nitrous oxide (N O), popularly
2 4 2
known as the “greenhouse gases” (GHGs). These GHGs trap the outgoing
infrared radiations from the earth’s surface and thus raise the temperature of
the atmosphere.
The continued dependence of agricultural production on light, heat, water
and other climatic factors, the dependence of much of the world’s population
on agricultural activities, and the signifi cant magnitude and rapid rates of
possible climate changes all combine to create the need for a comprehensive
consideration of the potential impacts of climate on global agriculture.
Assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture is a vital task. In both
developed and developing countries, the infl uence of climate on crops and
livestock persists despite irrigation, improved plant and animal hybrids and
the growing use of chemical fertilizers.
C limate change has already signifi cantly impacted agriculture and is
expected to further impact food production directly and indirectly. Increase
of mean temperature, changes in rain patterns, increased variability both in
temperature and rain patterns, changes in water availability, the frequency
and intensity of ‘extreme events’, sea level rise and salinization and perturba-
tions in ecosystems, all will have profound impacts on agriculture, forestry,
livestock and fi sheries.
Agriculture and food systems must improve and ensure food security, and to
do so they need to adapt to climate change and natural resource pressures, and
contribute to mitigating climate change. These challenges, being interconnected,
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viii Preface
have to be addressed simultaneously. Climate-resilient agriculture contributes
to the achievement of sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and
incomes, adapting and building resilience to climate change and reducing
and/or removing greenhouse gases emissions, where possible.
T he information on climate resilient agriculture for ensuring food security
is very much scattered. There is no book at present which comprehensively
and exclusively deals with the above aspects on agriculture emphasizing on
ensuring food security. The present book deals with climate resilient agriculture
for food security in detail using adaptation and mitigation measures.
The present book is divided into 14 chapters such as Introduction, Causes of
Climate Change, Agriculture as a Source of Greenhouse Gases, Impacts of
Climate Change, Regional Impacts on Climate Change, Crop Protection,
Insect and Mite Pests, Plant Pathogens, Nematode Pests, Weeds, Integrated
Pest Management, Adaptation, Mitigation, and A Road Map Ahead. The book
is extensively illustrated with excellent quality photographs enhancing the
quality of publication. The book is written in lucid style, easy to understand
language along with adoptable recommendations involving eco-friendly
adaptation and mitigation measures.
T his book will prove an invaluable source of reference for the policy
makers, researchers, scientists and students engaged in climate change
research. The book will stimulate further basic and applied research for
promoting resilient agriculture. This book will be of immense value to
scientifi c community as a whole, and scientists involved in teaching, research
and extension activities in particular. The material can also be used for
teaching post-graduate courses. Suggestions to improve the contents of the
book are most welcome (E-mail: [email protected]). The publisher,
Springer India (Pvt.) Ltd., New Delhi, India, deserves commendation for
their professional contribution.
Bangalore, Karnataka, India P. Parvatha Reddy
June 18, 2014
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................. 1
1.1 What Is Climate Change? ................................................. 3
1.1.1 The Main Indicators of Climate Change .......... 4
1.1.2 Ten Key Indicators of a Human Finger
Print on Climate Change ................................... 4
1.2 Causes of Climate Change ................................................ 5
1.2.1 Natural Causes .................................................. 6
1.2.2 Human Causes .................................................. 6
1.2.3 Biggest Threats of Climate Change .................. 6
1.3 Impacts of Climate Change ............................................... 7
1.4 Food Security and Climate Change .................................. 10
1.4.1 Food Security .................................................... 10
1.4.2 Green Economy ................................................ 11
1.4.3 Ensuring Food Security .................................... 11
1.5 Climate-Resilient Agriculture ........................................... 12
1.6 Climate Change Adaptation .............................................. 13
1.7 Climate Change Mitigation ............................................... 14
References ...................................................................................... 14
2 Causes of Climate Change ........................................................... 17
2.1 Natural Causes .................................................................. 18
2.1.1 Continental Drift ............................................... 18
2.1.2 Volcanoes .......................................................... 18
2.1.3 The Earth’s Tilt ................................................. 19
2.1.4 Ocean Currents ................................................. 19
2.2 Human Causes .................................................................. 19
2.3 Greenhouse Gases ............................................................. 20
2.3.1 Water Vapor....................................................... 21
2.3.2 Carbon Dioxide (CO ) ...................................... 22
2
2.3.3 Methane (CH ) .................................................. 23
4
2.3.4 Nitrous Oxide (N O) ......................................... 25
2
2.3.5 Chlorofl uorocarbons (CFCs) ............................ 25
References ...................................................................................... 26
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