Essay On Climate Change On Agriculture

Understanding climate change and its impacts on agricultural sectors is crucial, since climate is the primary determinant of agricultural productivity. Studies have shown that climate changes and extreme climatic events pose great threats to food and water security, public health, natural resources and biodiversity (McCarthy et al 2001, IPCC 2007). Given the fundamental role of agriculture in Africa, concern has been expressed by scientists about the potential impacts of climate change/variability on agricultural productivity. Studies have revealed that African countries are likely to be more severely affected because of their lack of adaptive capacity to climate change or variability (Kandji & Verchot 2006; Boko et al. 2007; Ole et al 2009).

This is higher than the projected global mean, with drier subtropical regions experiencing more warming than the wetter tropics, based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report (IPCC 2007; Rosegrant et al 2009; van Vuren et al 2009). These predicted changes in climate are likely to affect crop cultivation and yield, along with other agricultural activities. It is therefore clear from these studies that the reality of climate change and the myriad ways in which it affects agriculture cannot be ignored. According to the report, even with immediate implementation of mitigation strategies, global climate change will continue for decades (IPCC, 2007). other studies have shown that Sub-Saharan Africa is highly vulnerable to climate change, not only because the economy depend on rain fed agriculture, but also the confounding challenges of poverty, highest proportion of malnourished populations, low infrastructural and technological development, political conflict, and degradation of ecosystems (Boko et al., 2007, FAO, 2008, Nelson & van der Mensbrugghe 2013). Ericksen et al (2011) described these regions of the world as climate change “hotspots” due to the fact that the anticipated impact of climate change, and because coping capacity is restricted by