Lecture 12: Safeguarding food security in a changing climate

Question 1

‘perfect storm’ scenario

Answer 1

• food, water and energy work together / rely on each other

- growth by economic

Question 2

rolling the climate dice

Answer 2

shifting distribution of summer temperature temp anomalies, load the dice and the extremes become the normal

Question 3

high temperature events are

Answer 3

becoming more frequent

Question 4

impacts of heat waves on agriculture example

Answer 4

record high summer temps France 2003

• accelerated crop maturation 10-20 days
• led to yield losses of 20-35%
• losses to farmers, but little effect to global prices

Question 5

droughts are becoming

Answer 5

longer and more intense

Question 6

heavy precipitation is becoming

Answer 6

more frequent

- n. hemisphere winters suppose to get wetter

Question 7

extremes of temperatures can effect agriculture yields and profits

Answer 7

France winter wheat harvest 2016

- 28% yield loss, $2.3 billion lost, not predicted

Question 8

adaptation to extreme events: integrated regional strategies: West Africa drought adaption

Answer 8

• forecasts and monitoring
• disaster funds (insurance for bad years)
• breed drought tolerant crops
• conservation agriculture
• livelihood diversification (grow a range of crops so not reliant on one)
• water demand management, irrigation efficiency
• traditional rainwater harvesting and storage
  FIELD ET AL 2012

Question 9

fertilisation effect of rising CO2

Answer 9

does rising CO2 protect plants at all

• • expose crops to high CO2 in field environment
• • Open top chambers (OTC) OR Free air CO2 enrichment (FACE)
• FACE is EXPENSIVE
• leaf photosynthesis is limited at todays atmospheric CO2 concentration (rubisco)
• theoretical enhancement of yields at increased CO2 is greater than actual FACE experiments

Question 10

FACE

Answer 10

free air CO2 enhancement

• • costly
• • not done in many places
• • developed countries i.e. USA Arizona

Question 11

CO2 as efficient fertiliser

Answer 11

• CO2 limiting step in photosynthesis

- increase of CO2 in wet years can increases yields by 10%

Question 12

variation in existing germplasm means

Answer 12

• existing species we can breed to cope with increasing CO2
• i.e. in soybean
• were starting to breed responsive crops to cope with the conditions to come

Question 13

____ play a vital role in safeguarding agriculture as climate continues to change

Answer 13

biologists

• • impacts: understanding the vulnerabilities of crops
• • adaptations: climate-proofing agriculture
• • mitigation: reducing GHG emissions from crops and soils