climate change and agriculture by muhammad qasim & aroj bashir

CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURE

Objectives Introduction Effects of Agriculture on Climate

Change Effects of Climate Change on

Agriculture Global Agriculture Summary of the effects of

climate change on agriculture Climate Change and Pakistan Pakistan Agriculture Climate Change and Pakistan Agriculture Conclusion

Introduction World population will

probably double over the next 100 years.

Productive agriculture is essential to feed a growing population and sustain modern civilization.

Agricultural productivity remains at the heart of modern economies.

Introduction Climate affects agriculture Year-to-year variations in

harvest are largely due to variations in temperature and precipitation

Agriculture also affects climate Forests a major terrestrial sink

for CO2, have been greatly reduced by agricultural land clearing.

Modern agriculture depends on fossil-fuel energy and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions

Effects of Agriculture on ClimateChange

The global flux of several greenhouse gases is influenced by agriculture.

The second largest source of CO2 emissions after fossil fuel combustion is land clearing .

10 to 30% of net global CO2 emissions.

Forests, grasslands, and soils store large quantities of carbon.

Forests store 20 to 40 times more carbon per unit area.


Mean estimates of carbon loss from the conversion of terrestrial ecosystems to agriculture range from 21 to 46%.

Some agriculture produces methane (CH4) –the second-most important greenhouse gas.

Paddy rice cultivation is responsible for about

40% of global CH4 emissions. Livestock production is responsible for about

15% of global CH4 emissions. Nitrous Oxide is another GHS gas which is

realize by agriculture at the land clearing time.


Excess nitrogen from fertilizers is leached into the soil and, through microbial denitrification , converted to volatile N2O and released into t he atmosphere.

N2O release from agricultural fertilizers range from 0.1 to 1.5% of applied nitrogen.

N2O naturally by soils, but globally, nitrogen fertilizers contribute about 0.14 to 2.4million tons of the 8 to 22 million tons of total annual N2O emissions.

This problem can overcome by Crop rotation using a legume or other nitrogen-fixing crops can reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizer

Effects of Climate Change onAgriculture

Changes in atmospheric CO2, temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture, individually or together, could alter crop production.

Climate change models are linked to crop-response models, to predict crop yield changes in response to climate change

First, and perhaps most important, is the potential for farming practices to adapt to climate change


Second, increased atmospheric CO2 could also reduce the effects of climate change on agriculture.

Higher atmospheric CO2 levels could stimulate photosynthesis and crop production – a process called the CO2 fertilization effect.

Third, a differential day–night warming pattern would lessen the impacts of climate change on crops.

A significant increase in daytime temperature maxima during the growing season reduces photosynthesis and increases evapotranspiration , leading to a reduction in yield


Finally, the substitution or increased use of warmth-tolerant or drought-resistant crops could mitigate the impacts of climate change in certain areas.

decrease in water availability would result in decreased food production.

The risk of crop loss in temperate regions may increase as crop pests move poleward with global warming.


Climate also affects animal husbandry. Indirect effects include climate-

induced changes in the availability and price of feed grain and in pasture and forage crop yields

Extreme heat can affect the health of animals.

Global Agriculture Climate change will have serious impacts

on world food supplies .Especially in the less developed countries.

Global warming will probably shift growing areas by several hundred kilometers per degree increase in temperature, increasing agricultural productivity in some areas of the world, while drastically decreasing it in others.

In the developed countries of the Temperate Zone, climate change will probably have little negative impact on agricultural production.

Global Agriculture In many temperate regions, climate

warming and an extended growing season could be beneficial.

In Northern Europe, climate change could increase winter wheat production in Southern Sweden 10 to 20% over current levels by 2050.

In tropical and subtropical areas, predicted impacts on agriculture are mostly negative.

In poorer regions of the tropics, populations are often more directly dependent on agricultural production and more affected by its failure,

Global Agriculture Low lying coastal regions, river deltas, and

islands may be subject to flooding by sea-level rise in which case their agriculture would be impacted.

Water-stressed and marginal agricultural regions (e.g. in sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Mexico, the Middle East and Australia) may be pushed completely out of production by climate change.

Many areas in the Middle East and arid Asia have rapid population growth rates and are highly dependent on grazing animals and irrigated crop production.

Global Agriculture Other case studies for different regions of the

world suggest the following. a significant increase in rice production in

Japan Increased droughts and crop stress in

Australia, Brazil, India, and parts of Africa resulting from an intensified El Niño

dramatic losses in farm production in the central plains of the United States and Canada as it returns to “dust bowl ”conditions similar to the 1930s

Increased production in temperate countries such as Finland and the Russian Federation if technological improvements can take advantage of warmer conditions

Summary of the Effects ofClimate Change on Agriculture

For a doubling of atmospheric CO2, overall global agricultural production seems sustainable. However, responses differ greatly between regions. Low-latitude, low-income areas will experience the greatest impacts.

Sub-Saharan Africa – This arid to semiarid region where 60% of the population depends directly on farming appears most vulnerable to climate change.

South and Southeast Asia – More than 30% of the GDP comes from agriculture and these regions may be vulnerable.

Government agricultural policies – Many present policies discourage adaptation and technological innovation and may impede adaptation to climate change.

Climate Change and Pakistan

Climate change is the serious most challenge of our times.

it is well known that the developing countries are the least responsible for climate change

Pakistan being a developing country has a similar situation.

Global warming: the contribution to total greenhouse gas emissions is as low as 0.43 percent.

Pakistan come 135th of the world average of carbon dioxide emissions.

it is faced with severe climate changes and has been ranked as the 12th country most vulnerable to climate change.

Pakistan Agriculture Pakistan's principal natural resources

are arable land and water. About 25% of Pakistan's total land area is

under cultivation. watered by one of the

largest irrigation systems in the world. 21.2 GDP is given by Agriculture to

Pakistan. In Pakistan, the most agricultural province

is Punjab where wheat and cotton are the most grown

Some people also have mango orchards but due to some problems like weather, they're not found in a big range.

Pakistan Agriculture 50% of the land area of Pakistan is at the risk

of getting affected just because of climate changes.

Pakistan Himalayan glaciers who feed almost seven great Asian rivers are getting affected by the changing climates and have also poured light on the fact that these glaciers are expected to completely melt down in the coming 50 years which is a serious threat to the economy of Pakistan,

the adverse effects and impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector of Pakistan

Recent floods have caused a loss of 2.6 million acres of land resources.

Climate Change and Pakistan Agriculture

Being a predominantly agriculture economy, climate change is estimated to decrease crop yields in Pakistan not only as a result of flooding but also as a result of changing temperatures, which in turn will affect livelihoods and food production.

WHERE the wheat yields are estimated to decline by 6 to 9% and have given rise to food inflation and as the industrial sector of Pakistan depends upon the agricultural sector so these climate changes have a direct effect on the economy of Pakistan.

The change in water regimes and land due to climate change also adversely affects the agricultural productivity that depends mainly on the water availability.

Negative effect is due to altering bio-physical relationships such as changing growing periods of crops, altered scheduling of cropping seasons, changing irrigation water requirements, altering soil characteristics and rise in the risk of pests and diseases.

In the country the risk of hunger and food security will remain high due to decreased yields with the current rapid population growth and urbanization.

Climate Change and Pakistan Agriculture

Conclusion Climate changes have started adversely affecting the overall

quality of life in the country in the form of reduced agriculture productivity ,increased human morbidity and stressed use of natural resources.

Develop a national plan of action on climate change like China and India.

Taking measures such as improving technological responses by setting in place early warning systems, reducing the vulnerability of livelihoods through infra-structural changes

Developing new and innovative farm production practices (including new crop varieties and irrigation techniques) are extremely important.

Conclusion Mitigating is another way where feasible

strategies need to be identified to reduce the emission of CO2 for limiting the magnitude of future climate change.

Another viable way could be managing forests and soils to enhance carbon uptake.

climate change and agriculture by muhammad qasim & aroj bashir

Environment