Download or read book Smallholder adaptive responses to seasonal weather forecasts written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-11-08 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does receiving information on potential adverse weather conditions induce adaptive responses by smallholders? Do market institutions ease constraints to adaptation of these practices? This report examines these questions using a unique panel dataset of Zambian smallholder households collected before and after 2015/16 El Niño Southern Oscillation event. The analysis finds that farmers receiving drought-related seasonal forecasts are more likely to integrate drought tolerant crops into their cropping systems and to acquire improved maize seed varieties. These farmers, on average, are found to apply double the quantity of improved maize seeds than farmers residing in the same zones but not receiving weather information. Larger and more competitive private output markets function as enablers of smallholder adaptive responses to seasonal forecast information, as farmers with improved market access are more likely to shift toward drought resilient technologies than farmers with low output market access. Three policy recommendations emerge from the findings. First, while seasonal forecast information can induce adaptive responses by farmers, there is the need of improving access to this information, particularly for households in remote areas or limited asset ownership. Second, targeting voucher-based farmer input support programs based on seasonal forecast information can enable the crowding in of private investments in these regions and increase the adaptive responses of farmers, particularly resource constrained farmers. Finally, this analysis suggests that policies that incentivize private investment in agricultural markets should be considered within the broader framework of smallholder climate adaptation and resilience in Zambia. This includes strategies to improve agricultural trade predictability

Download or read book Applications of Seasonal Climate Forecasting in Agricultural and Natural Ecosystems written by Graeme L. Hammer and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 492 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate variability has major impacts in many parts of the world, including Australia. Developments in understanding of the El Niño - Southern Oscillation Phenomenon have introduced some skill in seasonal to inter-annual climate forecasting. Can this skill be harnessed to advantage? Or do we just continue to observe these impacts? How does a decision-maker managing an agricultural or natural ecosystem modify decisions in response to a skillful, but imprecise, seasonal climate forecast? Using Australian experience as a basis, this book focuses on these questions in pursuing means to better manage climate risks. The state of the science in climate forecasting is reviewed before considering detailed examples of applications to: farm scale agricultural decisions (such as management of cropping and grazing systems); regional and national scale agricultural decisions (such as commodity trading and government policy); and natural systems (such as water resources, pests and diseases, and natural fauna). Many of the examples highlight the participatory and inter-disciplinary approach required among decision-makers, resource systems scientists/analysts, and climate scientists to bring about the effective applications. The experiences discussed provide valuable insights beyond the geographical and disciplinary focus of this book. The book is ideally suited to professionals and postgraduate students in ecology, agricultural climatology, environmental planning, and climate science.

Download or read book Handbook on climate information for farming communities What farmers need and what is available written by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2019-05-31 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The content of this guide is twofold: to describe the most important weather and agroclimatic products that are available by the National Meteorological Service (NMS) and to identify the most important needs of farmers concerning climate information. Special consideration will be given to the local knowledge used by rural farmers, too often neglected, but a key factor to their ability to cope with climate variability and change. An additional objective of this guide is to improve communication among the NMS staff, in particular, meteorologists and agrometeorologists and to encourage Agro-Pastoral Field School (APFS) trainers and facilitators to be more aware of their respective availability. Furthermore, one of the most important aims is the exchange of agroclimatic information that corresponds to the needs of all concerned, thus facilitating the assessment of the existing climatic risks in farming activities. The integration of the Response Farming in Rainfed Agriculture (RF) approach into Farmer Field School (FFS) is feasibly an effective way to reconcile NMS products with the needs of farmers. RF is a method used for identifying and quantifying rainfall variability at a local level to assess the climatic risks of farming communities. The Climate-Responsive Farming Management (CRFM) approach is an enhanced version of RF that uses modern and digital technologies, such as specific computer software, automatic weather stations, real-time telecommunication and smartphone applications. This approach can be implemented at a minimum cost at the farming level.The integration of the Response Farming in Rainfed Agriculture (RF) approach into FFS is feasibly an effective way to reconcile NMS products with the needs of farmers. RF is a method used for identifying and quantifying rainfall variability at a local level to assess the climatic risks of farming communities. The Climate-Responsive Farming Management (CRFM) approach is an enhanced version of RF that uses modern and digital technologies, such as specific computer software, automatic weather stations, real-time telecommunication and smartphone applications. This approach can be implemented at a minimum cost at the farming level.

Download or read book Innovation in Natural Resource Management written by Ruth Suseela Meinzen-Dick and published by International Food Policy Research Insitute. This book was released on 2002 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together international experts in economics, sociology and natural resource management to examine the links among property rights, collective action and technological change for a variety of technologies across a range of community contexts in the developing world., Readership: undergraduate; postgraduate; research, professional

Download or read book Evolutionary Adaptive Responses to Rapid Climate Change in Plants written by Sandra Kahl and published by . This book was released on 2022* with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ongoing climate change is altering the living conditions for many organisms on this planet at an unprecedented pace. Hence, it is crucial for the survival of species to adapt to these changing conditions. In this dissertation Silene vulgaris is used as a model organism to understand the adaption strategies of widely distributed plant species to the current climate change. Especially plant species that possess a wide geographic range are expected to have a high phenotypic plasticity or to show genetic differentiation in response to the different climate conditions they grow in. However, they are often underrepresented in research. In the greenhouse experiment presented in this thesis, I examined the phenotypic responses and plasticity in S. vulgaris to estimate its' adaptation potential. Seeds from 25 wild European populations were collected along a latitudinal gradient and grown in a greenhouse under three different precipitation (65 mm, 75 mm, 90 mm) and two different temperature regimes (18°C, 21°C) that resembled a possible ...

Download or read book The Economic Impact of Climate Change on Kenyan Crop Agriculture A Ricardian Approach written by Jane Kabubo-Mariara and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2012 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper measures the economic impact of climate on crops in Kenya. The analysis is based on cross-sectional climate, hydrological, soil, and household level data for a sample of 816 households, and uses a seasonal Ricardian model. Estimated marginal impacts of climate variables suggest that global warming is harmful for agricultural productivity and that changes in temperature are much more important than changes in precipitation. This result is confirmed by the predicted impact of various climate change scenarios on agriculture. The results further confirm that the temperature component of global warming is much more important than precipitation. The authors analyze farmers' perceptions of climate variations and their adaptation to these, and also constraints on adaptation mechanisms. The results suggest that farmers in Kenya are aware of short-term climate change, that most of them have noticed an increase in temperatures, and that some have taken adaptive measures.

Download or read book A Ricardian Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on African Cropland written by Pradeep Kurukulasuriya and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2012 with total page 62 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study examines the impact of climate change on cropland in Africa. It is based on a survey of more than 9,000 farmers in 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The study uses a Ricardian cross-sectional approach in which net revenue is regressed on climate, water flow, soil, and economic variables. The results show that net revenues fall as precipitation falls or as temperatures warm across all the surveyed farms. In addition to examining all farms together, the study examined dryland and irrigated farms separately. Dryland farms are especially climate sensitive. Irrigated farms have a positive immediate response to warming because they are located in relatively cool parts of Africa. The study also examined some simple climate scenarios to see how Africa would respond to climate change. These uniform scenarios assume that only one aspect of climate changes and the change is uniform across all of Africa. In addition, the study examined three climate change scenarios from Atmospheric Oceanic General Circulation Models. These scenarios predicted changes in climate in each country over time. Not all countries are equally vulnerable to climate change. First, the climate scenarios predict different temperature and precipitation changes in each country. Second, it is also important whether a country is already hot and dry. Third, the extent to which farms are irrigated is also important.

Download or read book Small Farmers Secure Food written by J. Lindsay Falvey and published by Thaksin University Press & IID. This book was released on 2010 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Small farmers tilling handkerchief sized farms feed more than half the world. They thus maintain national stability, forestall conflict and reduce emigration. Secure food supply is nothing short of national security. Such facts define the poor world, yet are misunderstood by nations that influence international development. Practitioners know that small farmers’ yields can exceed those of large farms. They also know that food security means guaranteeing enough food to survive as a national priority unrelated to free trade. Good governments of poor countries practice this to avoid food shortages and anarchy. Food always comes first – that is the message of this powerful book. History is replete with failed societies that lost sight of the centrality of food and farmers. Today, wealthy country delusions of isolation from instability in the rest of the world open everyone to an unprecedented risk. These matters are, in this book, refocused on the essentials of life, global security and peace. Polemic in parts, it shows the situation as it is. The opening paragraph says it. This is a simple book. It argues for the return of two critical values in international development. The first is the securing of food for a minimal level of existence. The second, acknowledgement of the vital role of small farmers. Dilution of these values means that aid may now be increasing risks of starvation and conflict. Some arguments presented here will be counter-intuitive to conventional thinkers, and so information supports forgotten axioms. The book also notes the responsible actions of the world’s major food producers, China and India, both of which are criticized for abandoning unsuitable agendas of development agencies.

Download or read book Understanding Farmers Perceptions and Adaptations to Climate Change and Variability The Case of the Limpopo Basin South Africa written by Glwadys Aymone Gbetibouo and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2009 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Climate change is expected to have serious environmental, economic, and social impacts on South Africa. In particular, rural farmers, whose livelihoods depend on the use of natural resources, are likely to bear the brunt of adverse impacts. The extent to which these impacts are felt depends in large part on the extent of adaptation in response to climate change. This research uses a "bottom-up" approach, which seeks to gain insights from the farmers themselves based on a farm household survey. Farm-level data were collected from 794 households in the Limpopo River Basin of South Africa for the farming season 2004-2005. The study examines how farmer perceptions correspond with climate data recorded at meteorological stations in the Limpopo River Basin and analyzes farmers' adaptation responses to climate change and variability. A Heckman probit model and a multinomial logit (MNL) model are used to examine the determinants of adaptation to climate change and variability. The statistical analysis of the climate data shows that temperature has increased over the years. Rainfall is characterized by large interannual variability, with the previous three years being very dry. Indeed, the analysis shows that farmers' perceptions of climate change are in line with the climatic data records. However, only approximately half of the farmers have adjusted their farming practices to account for the impacts of climate change. Lack of access to credit was cited by respondents as the main factor inhibiting adaptation. The results of the multinomial logit and Heckman probit models highlighted that household size, farming experience, wealth, access to credit, access to water, tenure rights, off-farm activities, and access to extension are the main factors that enhance adaptive capacity. Thus, the government should design policies aimed at improving these factors.

Download or read book Coping with Climate Variability written by Colleen Vogel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-22 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This title was first published in 2003. Recent food shortages in Southern Africa, induced by rainfall variability but compounded by problems of governance and rising food prices, have resulted in massive relief efforts. A recent scientific innovation - supplying farmers with seasonal climate forecasts - has been touted as a way to increase preparedness for such situations. This book examines how climate forecasts are used by the agricultural community in Southern Africa. Based on a workshop funded by the World Bank, it covers a broad set of issues related to the use of seasonal forecasts, including factors that constrain users' capacities to respond. Case studies presented in the book explore how forecasts can potentially increase production and food security among a population highly dependent on agriculture and vulnerable to climate variability. The book reflects on how the production, delivery and uptake of seasonal forecasts might be improved, as well as the limitations to their usefulness, and it should catalyse future thinking and research in this field.

Download or read book Climate Change and Food Security written by David B. Lobell and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-12-21 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roughly a billion people around the world continue to live in state of chronic hunger and food insecurity. Unfortunately, efforts to improve their livelihoods must now unfold in the context of a rapidly changing climate, in which warming temperatures and changing rainfall regimes could threaten the basic productivity of the agricultural systems on which most of the world’s poor directly depend. But whether climate change represents a minor impediment or an existential threat to development is an area of substantial controversy, with different conclusions wrought from different methodologies and based on different data. This book aims to resolve some of the controversy by exploring and comparing the different methodologies and data that scientists use to understand climate’s effects on food security. In explains the nature of the climate threat, the ways in which crops and farmers might respond, and the potential role for public and private investment to help agriculture adapt to a warmer world. This broader understanding should prove useful to both scientists charged with quantifying climate threats, and policy-makers responsible for crucial decisions about how to respond. The book is especially suitable as a companion to an interdisciplinary undergraduate or graduate level class.

Download or read book Seasonal Climate Forecasting and Managing Risk written by Alberto Troccoli and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-01-29 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally formed around a set of lectures presented at a NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI), this book has grown to become organised and presented rather more as a textbook than as a standard "collection of proceedings". This therefore is the first unified reference ‘textbook’ in seasonal to interannual climate predictions and their practical uses. Written by some of the world’s leading experts, the book covers a rapidly-developing science of prime social concern.

Download or read book The Perception of and Adaptation to Climate Change in Africa written by David Maddison and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2007 with total page 53 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Micro level Practices to Adapt to Climate Change for African Small scale Farmers written by Till Below and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper discusses micro-level practices for adapting to climate change that are available to small-scale farmers in Africa. The analysis is based on a review of 17 studies about practices that boost small-scale farmers' resilience or reduce their vulnerability to observed or expected changes in climate; it includes data from more than 16 countries in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The review shows that African smallholders are already using a wide variety of creative practices to deal with climate risks; these can be further adjusted to the challenge of climate change by planned adaptation programs. We found 104 different practices relevant to climate change adaptation and organized them in five categories: farm management and technology; farm financial management; diversification on and beyond the farm; government interventions in infrastructure, health, and risk reduction; and knowledge management, networks, and governance. We conclude that adaptation policies should complement farmers' autonomous response to climate change through the development of new drought-resistant varieties and improved weather forecasts, the provision of financial services, improvement of rural transportation infrastructure, investments in public healthcare and public welfare programs, and policies that improve local governance and coordinate donor activities.

Download or read book Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation written by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2012-05-28 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales. SREX was approved and accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November 2011 in Kampala, Uganda.

Download or read book Handbook of Agricultural Economics written by Robert E. Evenson and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2007-06-28 with total page 847 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume 3 of this series of the Handbooks in Economics follows on from the previous two volumes by focusing on the fundamental concepts of agricultural economics. The first part of the volume examines the developments in human resources and technology mastery. The second part follows on by considering the processes and impact of invention and innovation in this field. The effects of market forces are examined in the third part, and the volume concludes by analysing the economics of our changing natural resources, including the past effects of climate change.Overall this volume forms a comprehensive and accessible survey of the field of agricultural economics and is recommended reading for anyone with an interest, either academic or professional, in this area. *Part of the renown Handbooks in Economics series*Contributors are leaders of their areas*International in scope and comprehensive in coverage

Download or read book Climate Impacts on Sustainable Natural Resource Management written by Pavan Kumar and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-12-01 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CLIMATE IMPACTS ON SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Climate change has emerged as one of the predominant global concerns of the 21st century. Statistics show that the average surface temperature of the Earth has increased by about 1.18°C since the late 19th century and the sea levels are rising due to the melting of glaciers. Further rise in the global temperature will have dire consequences for the survival of humans on the planet Earth. There is a need to monitor climatic data and associated drivers of changes to develop sustainable planning. The anthropogenic activities that are linked to climate change need scientific evaluation and must be curtailed before it is too late. This book contributes significantly in the field of sustainable natural resource management linked to climate change. Up to date research findings from developing and developed countries like India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the USA have been presented through selected case studies covering different thematic areas. The book has been organised into six major themes of sustainable natural resource management, determinants of forest productivity, agriculture and climate change, water resource management and riverine health, climate change threat on natural resources, and linkages between natural resources and biotic-abiotic stressors to develop the concept and to present the findings in a way that is useful for a wide range of readers. While the range of applications and innovative techniques is constantly increasing, this book provides a summary of findings to provide the updated information. This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of environmental sciences, remote sensing, geographical information system, meteorology, sociology and policy studies related to natural resource management and climate change.