Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Earth’s climate projections for the next decades raise concerns about the impacts on agricultural productivity and food security. Agricultural research is called to adapt crops and their management to the changing conditions although experimental work is difficult and expensive so crop models are needed. Higher temperatures will alter crop phenology shortening developmental phenophases; thus, different managements and targeted cultivars will be needed. On the other hand, new areas may become suitable for agriculture. In many cases, temperate tree crops will need new cultivars with lower chilling requirements or will move to colder locations. On the other hand, the higher CO2 concentration will boost Gross Primary Productivity, especially in C3 crops, and increase the water use efficiency, thus offsetting (at least partially) the negative impacts (higher water use, shorter cycles). Agriculture should also contribute to climate change mitigation although its real potential is still a matter of debate. Conservation agriculture aiming to enlarge the soil carbon pool and management options to reduce carbon emissions are the best options to ensure that farms are carbon sinks. Globally, intensive agriculture has more CO2 mitigation potential than extensive, low-input alternatives that would require more land for food production at the expense of forests.