Climate Neutral And Resilient Farming Systems

This book presents evidence-based research on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems and further provides innovative and practical solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impact of climate change. Intensive farming systems are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to global warming and the acceleration of climate change. As paddy rice farming is one of the largest contributors, and environmentally damaging farming systems, it will be a particular focus of this book. The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions needs to be urgently addressed to achieve the 2°C target adopted by COP21 and the 2015 Paris Agreement, but this is not possible if local and national level innovations are not accompanied by international level cooperation, mutual learning and sharing of knowledge and technologies. This book, therefore, brings together international collaborative research experiences on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems compiled by leading scientists and experts from Europe, Asia and Africa. The chapters present evidence-based research and innovative solutions that can be applied or upscaled in different farming systems and regions across the world. Chapters also present models and technologies that can be used for practical implementation at the systemic level and advance the state-of-the-art knowledge on carbon-neutral farming. Combining theory and practice, this interdisciplinary book provides guidance which can inform and increase cooperation between researchers from various countries on climate-neutral and resilient farming systems. Most importantly, the volume provides recommendations which can be put into practice by those working in the agricultural industry, especially in developing countries, where they are attempting to promote climate-neutral and resilient farming systems. The book will be of great interest to students and academics of sustainable agriculture, food security, climate mitigation and sustainable development, in addition to policymakers and practitioners working in these areas. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Farming for Our Future examines the policies and legal reforms necessary to accelerate the adoption of practices that can make agriculture in the United States climate-neutral or better. These proven practices will also make our food system more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture's contribution to climate change is substantial--much more so than official figures suggest--and we will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Fortunately, farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. The importance of agricultural climate solutions can not be underestimated; it is a critical element both in ensuring our food security and limiting climate change. This book provides essential solutions to address the greatest crises of our time.

Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the productivity and profitability of agriculture in North America. More variable weather, drought, and flooding create the most obvious damage, but hot summer nights, warmer winters, longer growing seasons, and other environmental changes have more subtle but far-reaching effects on plant and livestock growth and development. Resilient Agriculture recognizes the critical role that sustainable agriculture will play in the coming decades and beyond. The latest science on climate risk, resilience, and climate change adaptation is blended with the personal experience of farmers and ranchers to explore: The "strange changes" in weather recorded over the last decade The associated shifts in crop and livestock behavior The actions producers have taken to maintain productivity in a changing climate The climate change challenge is real and it is here now. To enjoy the sustained production of food, fiber, and fuel well into the twenty-first century, we must begin now to make changes that will enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of North American agriculture. The rich knowledge base presented in Resilient Agriculture is poised to serve as the cornerstone of an evolving, climate-ready food system. Laura Lengnick is a researcher, policymaker, activist, educator, and farmer whose work explores the community-enhancing potential of agriculture and food systems. She directs the academic program in sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and was a lead author of the report Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation.

Farming for Our Future examines the policies and legal reforms necessary to accelerate the adoption of practices that can make agriculture in the United States climate-neutral or better. These proven practices will also make our food system more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Agriculture's contribution to climate change is substantial--much more so than official figures suggest. We will not be able to achieve our overall mitigation goals unless agricultural emissions sharply decline. Fortunately, farms and ranches can be a major part of the climate solution, while protecting biodiversity, strengthening rural communities, and improving the lives of the workers who cultivate our crops and rear our animals. The importance of agricultural climate solutions should not be underestimated; they are critical elements both in ensuring our food security and limiting climate change. This book provides essential solutions to address the greatest crises of our time.

Smallholder farmers in developing countries are likely to be among the people hardest hit by climate change because of agriculture’s dependence on weather and the low level of resilience of farming to climate variability and change. The good news is that innovative approaches are being developed to meet this challenge. One of these approaches – climate-smart agriculture – aims to increase farm productivity and incomes in a sustainable manner, enable farmers to adapt and build resilience to climate change and (where possible) reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This study highlights the links between agroecology and climate change, by providing evidence on the technical (i.e. ecological and socio-economic) and policy potential of agroecology to build resilient food systems. The report aims to answer the following question: - How can agroecology foster climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience through practices and policies? Inspired by the idea that transformation will only happen through a coordinated approach among all levels, this study aims to combine evidence from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.

Applying a socio-ecological framework, this book explores how the innovative approach of commons-based organic apple breeding can contribute to sustainability in agricultural and food systems more widely. As fruit breeding and cultivation systems are confronted with a range of sustainability challenges, there are calls for new and innovative breeding approaches beyond mainstream economic solutions that would mitigate these sustainability challenges. Apples, in particular, are facing serious environmental challenges, with the negative environmental impacts of modern conventional breeding and farming, loss of agrobiodiversity, low participation and diminishing diversity of market actors in the wake of privatization and economization trends result in a lack of resilience in current breeding and cultivation systems. Drawing on in-depth case study research on apple production in Germany, this book advances the innovative solution of commons-based apple breeding as a model for developing resilience in fruit breeding and cultivation. It analyzes this approach, comparing it with more conventional practices, and showcases which factors could inhibit the broad implementation of commons-based apple breeding and how they can be overcome to exploit its full potential. Contributing to the great ambition of finding sustainable solutions across all agricultural sectors, this book opens up new and interdisciplinary perspectives on fruit breeding and cultivation, which is a largely neglected issue in contemporary discussions on agriculture and food production. This book will be of great interest for students and scholars from the fields of sustainable food systems, sustainable agriculture, crop science, and resource management and in particular those that seek inspiration for innovative approaches rooted in sustainability research, social-ecological resilience, and the commons.

Tillage agriculture has led to widespread soil and ecosystem degradation globally. This is especially so in Africa where traditional and modern tillage-based agricultural practices have become unsustainable due to severe disturbance and exploitation of natural resources, with negative impacts on the environment and rural livelihoods. In addition, agriculture in Africa today faces major challenges including increased costs of production and energy, the effects of climate change, and the lack of an effective paradigm for sustainable intensification, especially for small- and medium-size holdings. Africa is facing a serious challenge to food security and as a continent has not advanced towards eradicating hunger. In addition, the population is still growing much faster than on most other continents. This pressure has led to the emergence of no-till conservation agriculture as a serious alternative sustainable agriculture paradigm. In Africa, in recent years, conservation agriculture techniques and methods have spread to many countries, as greater development, education and research effort are directed towards its extension and uptake. This book is aimed at agricultural researchers and scientists, educationalists, and agricultural service providers, institutional leaders and policy makers working in the fields of sustainable agriculture and international development, and also at agroecologists, conservation scientists, and those working on ecosystem services.