Climate Change Science, Land Use and Food Production
In Australia, agriculture simultaneously represents the primary source of anthropogenic methane emissions and its largest potential terrestrial methane sink. This review details the principal Australian agricultural sectors involved in methane flux, the environmental, geochemical and biological factors which control methane flux in these agroecosystems and scope for mitigation strategies, and finally how methane flux in Australian agroecosystems may respond to predicted global changes in response to climate change drivers. Future research directions are discussed.
Here we provide agronomic and physiological background for the quantitative assessment of spatial patterns of the thermal regimes for wheat, barley, canola, field pea and chickpea. By showing that Australian agriculture in the southern and western regions is Levantine rather than European, we advance a more accurate and relevant framework to the thermal regimes of winter crops. We outline the direct and indirect effects of temperature on crop traits and develop a conceptual framework to assess thermal effects on crop yield and adaptive practices.
Climate change is expected to affect grassland production in various ways, with consequences for future food supply and land use. We develop a bio-economic model to examine the implications of risk aversion for optimal N use in grassland production under current and future climatic conditions. We find climate change impacts and adaptation to be sensitive to the preferences of farmers, which should be considered if giving recommendations on adaptation strategies.
Concerns about the response of agricultural production to climate change are increasing. This paper combined the CERES-Rice model with Regional Climate Model (RCM)-PRECIS to simulate both the effects of climate change on rice yields and the efficacy of adaptive options in Northeast China. The findings provide insight into the possible impacts of climate change on rice production and the possible adaptive strategies that could be adopted to cope with future climate change.
For crop species, a longer term adaptation to climate change is the breeding of new varieties for ‘future’ growing conditions. Breeding requires the assessment of genetic diversity for adaptation, and the selection and recombining of genetic resources into new varieties for production systems for projected future climate and atmospheric conditions. The clearest opportunities for genetic gains are in developing better adaptation to higher temperatures (e.g. control of phenological stage durations, and tolerance to stress) and, for C3 species, in exploiting the (relatively small) fertilisation effects of elevated CO2.
Australian farming systems such as low rainfall cropping or cool climate wine production are defined in part by climate. It stands to reason that if climate changes that farming systems will have to adapt or shift. This paper uses a farming systems perspective to examine the physical challenges of climate change along with the policy imperative for Australian agriculture to assist in the reduction of greenhouse gasses.
The cool season grain legumes (field pea, chickpea, faba bean and lentil) are important part of the sustainable cropping systems in Australia and globally. In this paper we review the role and use of genetic resources in the introduction, selection and breeding of the above grain legumes in Australia. Continued use of novel germplasm and use of genomic technologies will enhance the adaptation of cool-season grain legumes to both biotic and abiotic constraints.
Climate change presents the need and opportunity for major or ‘transformational’ adaptation in agriculture. This paper outlines some of the major issues posed by such adaptation, including the potential for both the absence and presence of such changes to lead to negative effects. It is concluded that transformational adaptation presents great gains and risks to agriculture and raises important questions about the role of agriculture within the rural landscape and communities, and the broader social, political and cultural environment.
Soil can be a significant source or sink for three greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane. Globally, more carbon exists in soil than the atmosphere and surface vegetation combined. Adoption of appropriate soil management can partially offset greenhouse gas emissions, but the implications of predicted changes in climate require consideration. A combination of robust measurement and modelling techniques in a soil monitoring system is required to quantify how Australian agriculture may impact on GHG emissions.
There is growing interest in understanding and managing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, which is a significant source of GHG emissions. The approaches used to quantify GHG emissions differ depending on the application - national inventory, carbon footprinting, carbon offset projects - but generally use the same basic data and methods. It is critical that cost-effective yet credible GHG estimation methods are developed, so that landholders will be encouraged to participate in offset schemes and carbon footprinting, and thereby achieve significant reduction in GHG emissions from the agriculture sector.
Population growth, projected increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and air temperature will put increasing pressure on agriculture to produce more food on less arable land while maintaining productivity and profitability and ensuring environmental sustainability. The magnitude of climate change and its implications on south-east Queensland on crop yield and water use are mostly unknown. Results show that early sowing dates and targeted deficit irrigation when water is limited are two adaptation strategies for future climate change scenarios. The study show how crop models can be applied to provide answers to practical production questions.
