Improved Agricultural Practices to Mitigate the Effect of Climate Change

Abstract

Agricultural production will manifest large climate change impacts. There is pressing need to improve agricultural productivity for food security while simultaneously protecting the environment as climate is changing. The goal is to produce higher yields with reduced greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production, to conserve and enrich the organic content of soils, to promote efficient water use and ecosystem integrity. This goal can be implemented through advanced agronomic management practices aimed at intensifying and sustaining agricultural production and targeting breeding programs based on improved fundamental understanding of crop genetics and physiology, while preserving natural ecosystems in nonagricultural land. We must take action to reduce the primary root cause; the high rate of CO₂ emissions by burning of fossil fuels, stopping large scale deforestation, preventing reclamation of large wilderness areas for agricultural use. Any delay in action to address the climate change will make future actions more expensive and even more difficult to agree upon.