Impacts of climate change on agriculture: Adaptation, mitigation, and environmental policy

Abstract

Agriculture sector which is already facing challenges due to rising food demand of growing population is getting severely affected by climate change. Climate change-induced effects like temperature increase, variation in rainfall pattern, extreme weather events, etc. are exacerbating pressure on the agriculture ecosystem globally. In fact, agriculture itself is contributing a significant share in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are causing climate change, ~ 17% directly through agricultural activities and an additional 7-14% through changes in land use. In the Indian subcontinent, agriculture is the major part of the GDP, and 58% of population is employed in the agriculture sector. The Government of India is making efforts to counteract the effects of climate change through shifting current agricultural practices and strategies toward climate-smart agriculture diversified adaptation and mitigation policies. The present chapter provides insight over adaptation and mitigation strategies which are available for combating negative effects of climate change on agriculture sector. Various policies on which Indian government is working for supporting sustainable productivity were also discussed.