by Carol Smock

Created on: August 04, 2010   Last Updated: August 05, 2010

Adapting agriculture to climate change should have twin purposes: adapting to prevent further damage to the environment, and adapting to produce food despite the impact of climate change. The increasing intensity and frequency of storms, flooding and draught have great impact on agriculture and, therefore, on the food supply.

The uncertainties associated with climate change have a strong impact on farmers worldwide. It is difficult for them to know when and what to plant when the weather pattern is erratic and changing. In Africa, the estimate is that 25-42 percent of species habitat could be lost. This would have a devastating effect on both food and non-food crops. In developing countries, up to 11 percent of cropland could be affected by climate change.

In the United States particularly and some other developed countries, agricultural practices have dramatically increased the impact of humans on the environment. Livestock accounts for more emissions than all transportation.

Cattle in particular are concentrated in feed lots knee deep in mud and feces and fed with grains that are grown using fossil fuels and then transported to feed lots. Much of the grain used in animal feed is grown on deforested land in the Amazon Basin. Ruminant animals (cattle, sheep, buffalo, goats, and camels) produce methane gas as a normal part of their digestive process. Their manure is dumped into “lagoons” where it is broken down by anaerobic bacteria and produces more methane.

If cattle were allowed to graze on their natural food, grass, their manure would be distributed in fields and dry, and would produce minimal amounts of methane when it breaks down. In sustainable systems, that is how manure is treated. It fertilizes soil and helps grow the grass on which the animals feed. Grain does not have to be grown on deforested land and transported hundreds of miles in a sustainable system.

Large farms that produce a single crop such as corn or soybeans cover hundreds of acres. These acres are plowed using fossil fuels and fertilized using petroleum products. Growing a single crop on large plots of land makes it more vulnerable to pests and disease, which are controlled with pesticides and other products that further pollute the environment. The soil becomes depleted and compacted and does not absorb water well, necessitating more aggressive irrigation.

An organic farmer raises several crops, often planting companion species together. The fuel for the truck is often produced

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>