The agriculture industry is one of the worst culprits contributing to the climate crisis. However, it is also vulnerable to the threats of climate change. For example, flooding and drought events are likely to increase in frequency alongside climate change, and shifting ecosystems can cause damage to crops as well as the spread of diseases. These events can be harmful to crops and increase the risk of food insecurity. As agriculture is relied upon worldwide, it is not just something that can be discontinued. Instead, it needs to be adapted so that it may meet population demand without compromising the demands of future generations. Some examples of adaptation include:
| Strategy | Effect |
Diversifying the crops planted | This shares out the risk of crop failure and increases the chances of successfully producing food. |
Genetic modification | Albeit controversial, modifying plant genes can make them resistant to harmful conditions, e.g. increasing temperatures. This can allow plants to survive that would ordinarily fail due to climate change. |
Increasing efficiency | Using new technologies to improve farming efficiency reduces the consumption of water. This allows agriculture to adapt to the threat of water insecurity resulting from climate change. |
Fig. 3 - Pearl millet seed production plots in India. Normally, pearl millet is a cross-pollinating crop, but the panicles are covered in parchment paper bags to ensure self-pollination. This is an example of agricultural adaptation.
In Scotland, owners of farms and agricultural businesses have been encouraged to introduce climate change adaptation strategies to protect the industry from harm. Some suggestions include:
- Buildings fences and walls to protect from increased rainfall.
- Introducing SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems) where appropriate to combat increased rainfall and reduce the risk of land being submerged.
- Store and manage water supplies.
Water management
One of the impacts of climate change is water insecurity. This can be caused by many factors, including increased evapotranspiration, the contamination of existing freshwater sources via rising sea levels and the increased frequency and intensity of drought events. This lower supply of water, combined with growing demand from an increasing population, can result in damaging and prolonged water shortages. Therefore, the population needs to adapt to having less water available to sustain them. This can be achieved in several ways:
- Implementing legislation to ensure the 'fair' distribution of water: This is particularly important where many countries share a water source which is common in many water-scarce regions of the world, such as the MENA (the Middle East and Northern Africa) region.
- Introducing water-efficient agricultural practices.
- Finding alternative water stores (e.g. desalinated seawater, rainwater, and treated sewage water): This takes the pressure off the traditional water stores and prevents overexploitation.
- The creation of pipelines allows for the transportation of water to more water-scarce areas.
- Increasing water conservation in periods of water surplus (e.g. during rainy seasons) will allow some reserves to be collected for times when water is scarce.
In the MENA region, there is an organisation called the 'Arab Integrated Water Resources Management Network' (AWARENET), which works to determine water quotas throughout the region and reduce over-exploitation and unfair distribution of water supplies.
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