Impact of Climate Change on Agricultural Ecosystem
摘要
Food security has continued to be a global challenge, especially in recent decades, owing to the intensification of climate change. Climate change which arises from human activities and other natural phenomena has different adverse effects on the environment; these include, an increase in the global temperature, changes in patterns of precipitation, hurricanes, drought, flooding, ocean acidification, melting of the ice caps and sea ice, forest fire, coral bleaching, increases in the emergence of pests and diseases, soil degradation, and cyclones. All these have negative consequences on global food security by reducing agricultural productivity. For instance, wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, forest fires, and flooding can lead to the loss of crops and farmland meant for agricultural purposes. Equally, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, flooding, melting of the ice caps, and sea ice can adversely affect the inhabitants of the water bodies which serve as a source of protein for human consumption. To prevent and reduce the effects of climate change on agriculture, different approaches have been proposed. These include improved agronomic practices (cover cropping, intercropping, and crop rotation), biotechnological (genetic modification of crops to become climate-resilient crops), and technological approaches (the use of artificial intelligence, remote sensing, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the Internet of Things). Therefore this chapter discusses the effect of climate change on agricultural productivity, the current progress made in preventing and ameliorating the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, and further recommends approaches that could help to increase agricultural productivity and food security even in the face of intense climate change.