Climate change is shaping oil palm breeding strategies

Abstract

The cultivation of oil crops and climate change are closely intertwined, thus revealing a complex cause-effect relationship. Many cultivation systems are affected by climate change, and in a dual way, they also contribute to climate alteration. The major agriculture-related determinants of climate change (captured by CO2 emission) are related to crop production, burning biomass residues, enteric fermentation, manure management, or synthetic fertilizers. This situation necessitates the immediate implementation of adaptation strategies at farm and landscape levels, in order to decrease vulnerabilities of individual farmers and entire agricultural economies to the adverse effects of climate change. It also requires mitigation efforts to reduce global climate change, sustain food production and maintain livelihoods. The production of palm oil, especially in South East Asia, looks particularly vulnerable: the monospecific plantation system that was designed centuries ago must now be questioned on all the aspects of its social, climatic and economic resilience. Ecological intensification is a means to achieve environmentally sustainable increases in yields by enhancing ecosystem functions that regulate and support crop production. Climate Smart Agriculture is able to increase agricultural productivity under a changing climate while reducing emissions. Specific measures for plantation management can prevent or reduce losses of important ecosystem functions. Innovative planting designs mixing selected forest and agricultural species with plantation crops are currently assessed although research is needed to document both the performance and the resilience of oil palm-based agroforestry systems. By combining simultaneous measurements of production, soil fertility, disease, climate variables, carbon storage and species’ diversity, we will understand how agroforests do not compromise production while creating benefits for climate adaptation, climate mitigation and biodiversity.