Agricultural Adaptation Research Articles

Zied Haj-Amor, Dong-Gill Kim, and Salem Bouri: Sustainable agriculture adaptation strategies to address climate change by 2050

Zied Haj-Amor, Dong-Gill Kim, and Salem Bouri: Sustainable agriculture adaptation strategies to address climate change by 2050

Effectiveness of Options for the Adaptation of Crop Farming to Climate Change in a Country of the European South

This study quantitatively evaluates the effectiveness of three main options for the adaptation of crop farming to climate change (i.e., shift of planting dates, increase/addition of irrigation, and resilient hybrids/cultivars) in Greece, a country in southern Europe. The potential effect of each option on the yields of several crops in all Greek regions is estimated for 2021–2040 and 2041–2060 and compared with those under the historical local climate of 1986–2005, by using agronomic and statistical regression models, and data from different climatic simulations and climate change scenarios. Our results reveal that all the adaptation options examined have the potential to significantly reduce crop yield losses occurring under no adaptation, particularly during 2021–2040 when for many regions and crops more than half of the losses can be compensated for. Notably, in some cases during this period, the measures examined resulted in crop yields that are higher than those under the historical climate. However, the effectiveness of the measures diminished significantly in 2041–2060 under very adverse climate change conditions, highlighting the dynamic nature of adaptation. Assessing the effectiveness of combined adaptation options and evaluating additional criteria (e.g., feasibility) represent essential areas for future research.

Maps of agrolandscape and ecological zoning of natural and natural-agricultural ecosystems of the Russian Federation

Agriculture has a large area of coverage and places the greatest burden on land, soil, water and biological resources in many countries of the world. Agricultural lands occupy huge areas in the world (4.8 billion hectares, or 37% of the land) and in Russia (221.9 million hectares, or 13% of the Russian Federation area). The agriculture best adapted to local conditions is the most beneficial one for people and nature. The main direction of agricultural adaptation is agrolandscape-ecological zoning. In order to provide information support for regionally, landscapeand ecologically differentiated agriculture and rational environmental management, an agrolandscape– ecological zoning of natural and natural-agricultural ecosystems was developed for the first time for all 11 natural-economic regions of Russia, namely, Northern, North-Western, Volga–Vyatka, Central, Central Black Earth, Volga, North Caucasus, Ural, West Siberian, East Siberian, and Far Eastern. The zoning was carried out using comparative geographical and agrolandscape-ecological methods, ecological-landscape and agroecological approaches. The contour and information basis for zoning is the map of Soil–Ecological zoning of the Russian Federation from the Faculty of Soil Science of Lomonosov Moscow State University. Maps of other types of zoning, numerous maps and atlases, statistical data, available literary and stock sources, ground-based and remote data were also used. Our sets of zoning materials included: a map, a map legend, 3 databases (land, forage lands, and negative processes), 2 classifications (forage lands, reindeer pastures, if any), articles, monographs, recommendations, and proposals for production. The maps have been compiled on a 1:2,500,000 scale on a modern, highly informative topographic cartographic basis for the map of Russian Federation. The maps show 6 types of boundaries, including 4 types of agrolandscape-ecological ones (taken from the Soil–Ecological Zoning map): 1) zones, 2) mountainous territories, 3) provinces, 4) districts and 2 types of administrative ones (available on the cartographic basis) of: 1) constituent entities of the Russian Federation, and 2) natural-economic regions.

Adaptation of rice farmers to aging in Thailand

Abstract As one of the fastest-aging countries globally, Thailand faces unique challenges in its agricultural landscape due to the accelerated aging of its farming population. As rice is the most important crop, it is essential to understand the perceptions of farmers regarding the effects of aging on rice farming and how they adapt to aging. This research examined the adjustments that rice farmers had made in their practices over the past 5 years to cope with this demographic shift. The study utilized survey data collected from 300 rice farmers across two prominent rice-producing provinces in Thailand. The findings revealed that 32% of the surveyed rice farmers had adapted to the challenges posed by aging. The top two adaptive strategies allowed descendants to be more involved in rice farming activities and utilization of labor-saving machinery. To analyze the factors influencing the decision to adapt to aging, a binary probit model was employed. The results indicated that several factors played a positive and significant role in the rice farmers’ decisions. These included the farmer’s age, the size of agricultural land, access to irrigation, land ownership, the farmer’s perception of the impact of aging on rice farming, willingness to learn to use and embrace innovative technology for planting and harvesting, and a reduced number of farming activities performed through custom hiring services. Among these factors, irrigation, land ownership, and the farmer’s perception of the aging impact were found to have a strong influence on the farmer’s adaptation.

Development of a scale to measure the adaptability of farmers to climate change

Development of a scale to measure the adaptability of farmers to climate change

The potential to reduce runoff generation through improving cropping and tillage practices in a sub-humid continental climate

Agricultural sustainability is threatened by both water deficit and water excess, especially at the presence of extreme meteorological events resulting from climate change. However, there has been lack of demonstrations on management options with long-term values for agricultural adaptation to runoff. Using 20 years of monitoring data (1993‒2012) for two experimental fields in the Canadian Prairies as a case study, we quantified the effects of rainfall characteristics, crop type and biomass, and tillage on growing-season runoff generation using regression analyses and thereafter scenario comparisons. With growing-season gross rainfall ranging between 183 and 456 mm, runoff responses varied between 0 and 59 mm. Over the 20-year study period, 70%‒74% of the growing-season runoff was generated by rainfall events > 100 mm. Compared to high-intensity tillage, long-term conservation tillage reduced both overall runoff and runoff in large events likely by improving water infiltration. Under both tillage methods, growing-season runoff significantly increased with increasing rainfall but decreased with increasing biomass (R2 range: 0.40‒0.58; p range: 0.0007‒0.02). At the event level, the rainfall-runoff relationship followed a piecewise regression model (Cd = 0.82; p < 0.0001; “breakpoint” rainfall event = 105 mm), in which runoff increased slowly before reaching the “breakpoint” but rose sharply afterwards. Due to a greater biomass, canola resulted in less runoff than wheat. Scenario analyses showed that increasing crop biomass by 50% under the current average rainfall conditions could reduce runoff by 81‒86% in wheat and 100% in canola. The reduction may be attributed to the combined effects of crop on interception, evapotranspiration, and infiltration. In conclusion, although in a sub-humid continental climate like the Canadian Prairies there are generally low amounts of rainfall runoff, this study demonstrates significant runoff in some years, especially following large rainfall events. Runoff generation can be significantly reduced through improving cropping and tillage practices, and such effects on regional water retention should be further assessed by considering the past and future changes in climate and management.

Farm adaptive business strategies in crisis management: COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted businesses worldwide, with rural businesses being no exception. This study examines the effects of the global crisis on upland farmers in England. It builds on the under-researched area of constrained rural entrepreneurship. Institutional theory is applied as a theoretical lens to understand how crisis events shape the constrained institutional contexts in which farm businesses strategically navigate. Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, we explore how different farmers, traditionalist and entrepreneurial, have strategically responded to the aftermath of crisis-influenced constraints. Our findings highlight the importance of business strategy—particularly farm diversification—in helping farmers navigate these challenges. We provide a conceptual framework, the Farm Crisis Adaptation Framework, (FCAF) that theorizes farmer adaptation strategies in response to crisis situations. Our findings indicate a greater needed for rural policymakers to help develop the strategic entrepreneurship skillsets of farmers—helping farmers to future-proof their businesses against uncertainties. Moreover, investment is needed in the local and regional economy, establishing a conducive environment supportive of farm development strategies.

Do planning practices hinder on-farm diversification in peri-urban Mediterranean France?

At the crossroads of spatial planning and agriculture, this article explores how planning practices impact on-farm diversification strategies in peri-urban Mediterranean France. It focuses on farm building permit applications, statistically analyzing a database of 860 buildings applied for and interviewing local authorities and farmers’ representatives. Results show the large proportion of applications related to reterritorialization of food systems, development of recreational activities, and production of green energy. These on-farm diversification trends highlight the transformation of peri-urban areas from a natural or agricultural landscape into a multifunctional landscape, posing several planning challenges. Planners don’t know how to assess whether a new building is really essential for farming, or to find the right trade-offs to support farming dynamics while limiting soil sealing. Their assessment criteria generally favor large, full-time, and economically viable farms. Comparing two provinces’ planning practices, we observe significant differences in interpretation of national law, with incoherent or unharmonized criteria applied especially when assessing professional farming activities, new dwellings, and solar energy projects. We also highlight two potential obstacles to farmers’ generational renewal and agroecological or food transitions: i) lack of transparency regarding the rules and the decision-making processes behind building permit assessment, and ii) the frequent rejection of applications for multi-purpose premises and lightweight, mobile, or dismantlable structures. Such results point to the role of planners in transforming peri-urban landscapes and the need for more consistent regulation of new farm buildings, supporting and not hindering farm adaptation strategies and the multifunctionality of peri-urban areas.

Scientometric analysis of cover crop management: Trends, networks, and future directions

This research paper presents a comprehensive scientometric analysis of English articles from the Scopus database regarding the topic of cover crop management from 1956 to March 2024. Through the analysis of the annual production trend, total production, a co-occurrence network of keywords, co-authorship networks, and co-citation networks, the data was mapped and visualized using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software. There was an exponential increase in publications from 1991 onwards. The predominant subject was Agricultural and Biological Sciences and the most relevant journals, authors, and documents were related to this topic. Additionally, the most productive country was the United States, but in terms of article production per surface area, other countries, such as Switzerland and The Netherlands, evidence the great weight of cover crop management in these countries. The identified research topics were related to the application of different crops as cover crops and the effects on different cultivars, also soil quality improvement, and fertilization and nutrient efficiency. An emerging research topic was found to be the usefulness of cover crops as effective tools for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture. Future research in the field of cover crop management could be directed towards climate-adaptive cover crop species and varieties, the use of technological innovations for cover crop monitoring, and management and analysis of the economic and social impacts of cover crop adoption.

The Spatiotemporal Evolution of Extreme Climate Indices in the Songnen Plain and Its Impact on Maize Yield

Global climate change is intensifying and extreme weather events are occurring frequently, with far-reaching impacts on agricultural production. The Songnen Plain, as an important maize production region in China, faces challenges posed by climate change. This study aims to explore the effects of climate extremes on maize yield and provide a scientific basis for the adaptation of agriculture to climate change in this region. The study focuses on the spatial and temporal evolution characteristics of climate extremes during the maize reproductive period from 1988 to 2020 in the Songnen Plain and their impacts on maize yield. Daily temperature and precipitation data from 11 meteorological stations were selected and combined with maize yield information to assess the spatial and temporal trends of extreme climate indices using statistical methods such as the moving average and Mann–Kendall (M-K) mutation test. Pearson correlation analysis and a random forest algorithm were also used to quantify the degree of influence of extreme climate on maize yield. The results showed that (1) the extreme heat and humidity indices (TN90p, TX90p, CWD, R95p, R10, and SDII) tended to increase, while the cold indices (TN10p, TX10p) and the drought indices (CDD) showed a decreasing trend, suggesting that the climate of the Songnen Plain region tends to be warmer and more humid. (2) The cold indices in the extreme temperature indices showed a spatial pattern of being higher in the north and lower in the south and lower in the west and higher in the east, while the warm indices were the opposite, and the extreme precipitation indices showed a spatial pattern of being higher in the east and lower in the west. (3). Both maize yield and trend yield showed a significant upward trend. Maize meteorological yield showed a fluctuating downward trend within the range of −1.64~0.79 t/hm2. During the 33 years, there were three climatic abundance years, two climatic failure years, and the rest of the years were normal years. (4) The cold index TN10p and warm indices TN90p and CWD were significantly correlated with maize yield, in which TN90p had the highest degree of positive correlation with yield, and in the comprehensive analysis, the importance of extreme climatic events on maize yield was in the order of TN90p, TN10p, and CWD. This study demonstrates the impact of extreme climate indices on maize yield in the Songnen Plain, providing a scientific basis for local agricultural management and decision-making, helping to formulate response strategies to mitigate the negative effects of extreme climate, ensure food security, and promote sustainable agricultural development.

Farmer adaptation strategies through local farming systems in Enrekang, Indonesia

Farmers in tropical Indonesia who manage agroecological systems face multiple challenges related to food security. Despite the conditions caused by climate change, these farming households have effectively utilized agroforestry to build food security. However, prolonged dry seasons pose new constraints to their livelihood strategies. This study uses a qualitative methodology and a rural farmer livelihood framework to analyze and evaluate household livelihood strategies, attitudes, and reactions to climate change. The findings show that farmers constantly modify their management techniques using flexible and adaptive decision-making processes to cope with and minimize climate change challenges. Moreover, the role of climate variation as a significant catalyst for change in farming practices is challenging to distinguish from some of the routine problems that farmers face each year. Through knowledge accumulation and adaptive management, farmers in Enrekang utilize several livelihood adaptation strategies to reduce risks in the face of changing climate conditions. In addition, farmers utilize on-farm crops to obtain various ecosystem services that provide services such as food, nutrition, and medicine and improve ecology, nutrient cycling, and climate regulation. Further research is needed to understand how on-farm tree inclusion affects various biophysical properties and the rationale behind species selection.

Adaptation of Agriculture to New Geopolitical Conditions

Adaptation of Agriculture to New Geopolitical Conditions

A Comprehensive Review of Potential Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Agriculture in the Current Climate Change Scenarios

Climate change has a major impact on agriculture worldwide, but in certain regions, like India, this impact is more pronounced than in others. India's large population, heavy reliance on natural resources, and lack of coping mechanisms make it difficult for the country to adapt to the changing climate. India has experienced a notable warming trend over the past century, with an approximate 0.60 °C increase in temperature. This trend is anticipated to continue, possibly having catastrophic consequences for agricultural productivity and food security. Climate change is predicted to result in increasingly variable growing conditions for many crops, making it more challenging for farmers to schedule the planting and harvesting of their crops. Rapid reaction times and coordination are required to mitigate the consequences of climate change on Indian agriculture. This means implementing adaptation tactics, such as cultivating crop varieties that can tolerate high temperatures, promoting water-efficient irrigation techniques, preserving soil health, and enhancing climate resilience through integrated farming systems. India can lessen the negative effects of climate change on its agriculture sector and guarantee food security for its growing population by taking proactive steps and implementing sustainable farming practices.

Genome Sequencing of Lentinula edodes Revealed a Genomic Variant Block Associated with a Thermo-Tolerant Trait in Fruit Body Formation.

The formation of multicellular fruiting bodies in basidiomycete mushrooms is a crucial developmental process for sexual reproduction and subsequent spore development. Temperature is one of the most critical factors influencing the phase transition for mushroom reproduction. During the domestication of mushrooms, traits related to fruiting bodies have significantly impacted agricultural adaptation and human preferences. Recent research has demonstrated that chromosomal variations, such as structural variants (SVs) and variant blocks (VBs), play crucial roles in agronomic traits and evolutionary processes. However, the lack of high-quality genomic information and important trait data have hindered comprehensive identification and characterization in Lentinula edodes breeding processes. In this study, the genomes of two monokaryotic L. edodes strains, characterized by thermo-tolerance and thermo-sensitivity during fruiting body formation, were reassembled at the chromosomal level. Comparative genomic studies of four thermo-tolerant and thermo-sensitive monokaryotic L. edodes strains identified a 0.56 Mbp variant block on chromosome 9. Genes associated with DNA repair or cellular response to DNA damage stimulus were enriched in this variant block. Finally, we developed eight CAPS markers from the variant block to discriminate the thermo-tolerant traits in L. edodes cultivars. Our findings show that the identified variant block is highly correlated with the thermo-tolerant trait for fruiting body formation and that alleles present in this block may have been artificially selected during L. edodes domestication.

Tracking paddy rice acreage, flooding impacts, and mitigations during El Niño flooding events using Sentinel-1/2 imagery and cloud computing

The frequent occurrence of El Niño events, in the context of climate change, brings heavy precipitation and extreme heat, severely disrupting agricultural production. Previous efforts have focused on monitoring crop planting areas and evaluating affected crops during disasters. Nevertheless, a comprehensive analysis, including crop planting area mapping, crop damage assessment, and mitigation effectiveness throughout the entire course of a disaster, has been seldom addressed. In this study, we built a comprehensive framework to rapidly investigate the areas of early rice, the extent of flooding impacts, and the post-flood mitigations of early rice during the El Niño flooding event in a typical rice production region – Jiangxi Province in 2023. Early rice planting areas were first mapped by integrating 15-day time series gap-filled Sentinel-1/2 datasets using the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform, based on a random forest classifier built with the 55 optimized training features. Then the flood-affected early rice map was produced by integrating the early rice planting areas and the Sentinel-1 images-based flood map. Finally, the post-flood newly planted rice fields were identified using the random forest algorithm and classification features from the Sentinel-1/2 images composited during four phenology phases of newly planted rice. The results showed the early rice planting area map, the flooding map, and the newly planted early rice map have overall accuracies of over 90 %. The early rice planting areas reached 120 × 104 ha, and an area of 3.60 × 104 ha (3 %) was flooded due to the heavy rain, and 3.43 × 104 ha flooded areas were newly planted, eventually mitigating the flooding impacts on the production of early rice. This study showcases the potential of all the available Sentinel-1/2 data, cloud computing, and well-established mapping algorithms for tracking rice areas, flooding impacts, and mitigations (i.e., after-flooding replanting) during extreme climate events. The established framework is expected to serve as an early warning system for agricultural adaptation to extreme climate events.

Collective and individual adaptation of rice farmers to climatic variability in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

Collective and individual adaptation of rice farmers to climatic variability in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

A hybrid reanalysis-forecast meteorological forcing data for advancing climate adaptation in agriculture

Climate variability in the growing season is well suited for testing adaptation measures. Adaptation to adverse events, such as heatwaves and droughts, increases the capacity of players in agri-food systems, not only producers but also transporters and food manufacturers, to prepare for production disruptions due to seasonal extremes and climate change. Climate impact models (e.g., crop models) can be used to develop adaptation responses. To run these models, historical records and climate forecasts need to be combined as a single daily time series. We introduce the daily 0.5° global hybrid reanalysis-forecast meteorological forcing dataset from 2010 to 2021. The dataset consists of the Japanese 55-yr Reanalysis (JRA55) and the Japan Meteorological Agency/Meteorological Research Institute Coupled Prediction System version 2 (JMA/MRI-CPS2) 5-member ensemble forecast. Both are bias-corrected using the Delta method and integrated with a baseline climatology derived from the Environmental Research and Technology Development Fund’s Strategic Research 14 Meteorological Forcing Dataset (S14FD). The dataset is called JCDS (JRA55-CPS2-Delta-S14FD) and offers a framework for monitoring and forecasting applications towards adaptation.

Running to warmer-drier springs in the Greater Mekong Subregion as climate warms

Using the multivariate EOF analysis performed on the observation datasets, this study reveals that the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) has been toward warm-dry springs over most regions especially after the 2000s, accompanied by increased surface temperature and decreased precipitation anomalies. Such climate condition provides favourable environment for compound heat and drought events, raising questions about how the spring climate in GMS will change as climate warms. Based on a multi-model weighting scheme among CMIP6 models, we project the regional climate changes in GMS in a warmer world under the SSP5–8.5 scenario. Results show that the southern GMS including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia will become warmer-drier throughout the 21st century in response to global warming. In contrast, the climate condition over the northern GMS including Myanmar and Yunnan province of Southwest China is expected to experience a transition from dry to wet springs in a warmer world, resulting in a tendency toward the warm-wet springs particularly in the long-term future. This knowledge indicates the spatial non-uniformity of regional climate under global warming and will aid in advance to plan for water management and agricultural adaptation.

Increasing concurrent exposure of global breadbaskets to reproductive heat extremes

Abstract In recent years, circumglobal heatwaves are becoming increasingly frequent, motivating concerns about the concurrent exposure of global breadbaskets to heat extremes during crop reproductive periods. Here we project the likelihood of concurrent exposure of global breadbaskets of staple crops to widespread reproductive heat extremes. We find that circumglobal reproductive extreme heat exposure would be an agriculturally relevant climate feature in the coming decades. By 2028‒2057 (with approximately 2 oC warming above preindustrial levels), the probability of major breadbaskets of the world concurrently enduring at least 5 days of reproductive extreme heat over more than half of their croplands in a typical year is projected to rise from virtually unlikely to 0.43 for maize, 0.27 for wheat, 0.33 for rice and soybean. While as of 2050‒2079 (with approximately 3 oC warming above preindustrial levels), these probabilities would grow rapidly to 0.91, 0.83, 0.87, and 0.80, respectively. Should such dramatic increases in circumglobal reproductive extreme heat exposure occur, they could pose substantial stress on food production and agricultural adaptation, particularly when coinciding with agricultural droughts.

Small farms in Spain common agricultural policy (2023-2027): A critical review

The role of small-scale farming in forming a sustainable food system is significant due to its greater ability to support biodiversity, ensure food and job availability for the population in remote rural areas, and preserve the identity of local production. Accordingly, any Commission Agricultural Policy reform requires evaluation from this perspective. The aim of this study was to critically assess the potential for adapting the needs of small-scale farming in Spain's new Commission Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan and to provide recommendations to address identified imbalances. Consequently, an analytical review of the agricultural sector was conducted, guided by statistical information, to investigate the main trends in the transformative changes within Spain's farming structure. The analysis of the political document allowed for the identification of component changes in line with the agricultural policy reform. The method of analytical-critical thinking was used to analyse the payment structure and fair distribution of funds for small-scale farming. As a result, the study identified weaknesses and disparities in Spain's new Commission Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan and provided relevant recommendations that could facilitate better adaptation of small farms to the new agricultural policy. The provided recommendations can serve as a basis for further scientific discussion and improvement of agricultural policy. This research can be useful for stakeholders in making political decisions to better adapt to the stated ambitious goals of the new Commission Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan