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Agricultural resilience-sustainability and food security in South Asia in the context of changes in global climate
Citation Link: https://doi.org/10.15480/882.3237
Publikationstyp
Conference Paper
Date Issued
2017-05-26
Sprache
English
Author(s)
TORE-DOI
TORE-URI
One of the areas that is directly affected by the changes in global climate and involves the poorest of the world is agriculture and hence by association food security. Unsustainable farming practices like the excessive use of mineral fertilizers and plowing have further aggravated the situation, having led to an irreversible destruction of cultivable soils worldwide. In this regard, certain areas of South Asia have been described as among the regions most vulnerable to climate change.
In South Asia, more than 65 % of the 1.7 billion people rely on agriculture for their livelihood and rice is the staple for the majority of the population. With 68 % of the total population based at or near rice ecosystems and nearly 30 % living on less than USD1.25 a day, the resilience of rice based small-holder farms assumes great importance in the present scenario. South Asia would be the worst affected in terms of absolute change in rice production with the production in 2050 being projected at 40 % lower than in the no-climate-change scenario. In this context, it is imperative to focus on agriculture in the context of a changing climate when framing future policies for South Asia.
From the perspective of high water productivity and better yields, the rice production system known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is among the well-recognized systems in application in various agro-ecological regions of the world. SRI is a methodology for increasing the productivity of irrigated rice by better management of plants, water, soil and nutrients. It is as a climate-smart rice production system having improved resistance to drought, floods, storms, and pests and results in increased yields. The water consumption with SRI-rice being a water-intensive crop is also lower than in the conventional rice production system, a factor that assumes great importance in the current scenario of receding water tables in South Asian countries. This paper will examine the case for SRI in South Asia in the context of climate change and related factors.
In South Asia, more than 65 % of the 1.7 billion people rely on agriculture for their livelihood and rice is the staple for the majority of the population. With 68 % of the total population based at or near rice ecosystems and nearly 30 % living on less than USD1.25 a day, the resilience of rice based small-holder farms assumes great importance in the present scenario. South Asia would be the worst affected in terms of absolute change in rice production with the production in 2050 being projected at 40 % lower than in the no-climate-change scenario. In this context, it is imperative to focus on agriculture in the context of a changing climate when framing future policies for South Asia.
From the perspective of high water productivity and better yields, the rice production system known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is among the well-recognized systems in application in various agro-ecological regions of the world. SRI is a methodology for increasing the productivity of irrigated rice by better management of plants, water, soil and nutrients. It is as a climate-smart rice production system having improved resistance to drought, floods, storms, and pests and results in increased yields. The water consumption with SRI-rice being a water-intensive crop is also lower than in the conventional rice production system, a factor that assumes great importance in the current scenario of receding water tables in South Asian countries. This paper will examine the case for SRI in South Asia in the context of climate change and related factors.
Subjects
Food security
Agriculture
Rice cultivation
Climate change
Water scarcity
Resilience
DDC Class
570: Biowissenschaften, Biologie
620: Ingenieurwissenschaften
630: Landwirtschaft, Veterinärmedizin
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