Adaptive Land Management for Climate-Smart Agriculture

Abstract

In the 21st century we face the severe impacts of climate change in agriculture including soil erosion, reduced soil quality, and lower crop productivity which threaten future food security and global sustainability. The food security challenge will become more difficult because the world will need to produce about 70% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people. Agriculture is also a major contributor to the climate problem, as it currently generates about 25% of total greenhouse gases. This percentage could rise substantially as other sectors reduce their emissions. On the other hand, agricultural land management offers a potential system to adapt to the world s changing climate. Various land management practices provide different abilities and capacities to mitigate climate change depending on factors such as soils, crops, soil amendments, tillage, landscape and cropping systems. Soil management focusing on carbon and nitrogen cycles as the driving forces for better soil quality will be discussed. The paper will provide an overview of accomplishing this management through the use of soil amendments, low-input agricultural systems, cropping systems, and precision agriculture. In addition, land conservation systems such as different tillage practices, crop rotations and land restoration technologies provide opportunities to reduce global climate change through improved soil carbon sequestration. This paper suggests that (1) increased productivity, (2) enhanced resilience and (3) reduced emissions are needed as outcomes from each management system. In conclusion, agricultural land management practices that improve carbon sequestration and soil functions through increased soil quality and soil health reduce soil erosion and support the resilience of cropping are necessary to sustain food security in a changing climate. Without considering climate-smart agriculture, our land will not support soil-water conservation sufficient to provide food for the world s global growing population.