Impacts of Climate Change on Horticultural Crop Production in Sri Lanka and the Potential of Climate-Smart Agriculture in Enhancing Food Security and Resilience

Abstract

AbstractSri Lanka is experiencing dramatic climatic changes in the last decades, which are severely affecting continuous crop production and distracting farmers’ livelihood and food supply chain. Hence, there is a growing concern about climate change and its effect on food security and that majority of crops cultivation depends on the monsoon pattern. The annual production merely fulfils the country’s food demand; therefore, food security is a continuous high priority. Among all cultivations, horticultural crops are being reduced in terms of yield and nutritional quality to a greater extent due to the perishable nature of harvest. By reference to relevant literature, this chapter evaluates the importance of shifting conventional cropping systems to a climate-smart agriculture (CSA) system since it allows to achieve simultaneously many objectives such as combating climate change impacts on horticultural crops and achieving sustainable food security and resilience. The research, conducted by reviewing the available literature on the country’s current adaptation efforts, have identified many issues such as: a decline in crop productivity and livelihood of rural farmers; postharvest losses and destruction of supply chain; and a high investment in food export. According to findings, horticultural crops could be used in CSA to address climate change and achieve food security in Sri Lanka due to their potential in increase productivity, improving resilience, and reducing carbon emissions. Furthermore, CSA helps fill knowledge gaps and serve as a guide for climate-smart investments and development initiatives. However, to fully benefit from such a framework, further research is needed to determine the magnitude of climate change impacts on horticultural crop productivity and how such impacts vary depending on the agricultural geographical zone, variety, and customer demand.KeywordsClimate changeHorticultural cropsFood securityClimate-smart agricultureSri Lanka