=Understanding Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Climate change challenges food security because the temperatures are rising, rainfall is irregular and the regional weather conditions are volatile and violent for agriculture practices. As a result of these rising challenges, climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) has been developed to be a robust strategy of supporting food production as well as protecting farming communities against climate change impacts.

CRA stands for practices that are used by agriculturists in order to foster development of farming systems in order to cope with any shifting climatic conditions, environmental effects inclusive. Prominent heads set for CRA include; enhancing productivity of agriculture production, enhance resilience of farms to climate change and lowering on emissions of GHG from operations of farming. Compared to conventional farming, CRA is oriented on longer term and combines the approaches of traditional farming and those of the modern farming.

Hence, flexibility is the key to climate smart agriculture. For instance, crop diversification lowers the risk exposure of a farmer in case of crop failure through either drought, pests or diseases on his farms. Other cropping systems also enhance the support of diversity and balance the ecosystem and increases soil fertility which makes farming much more stable in the situations of climate change.

Soil of course is another vital aspect of CRA. They protect water table, sequesters more carbon, and enhance crop productivity and these are some of the reasons why healthy soils are resilience. This measures include conservation tillage, cover cropping and organic fertilization which helped to structure and maintain the soil fertility so that the crops could not be affected by such factors like floods or long dry seasons. These approaches do not only enhance productivity of agriculture but outside also undertake development of longer-term farming systems that will be sustainable.

It is about implementing these strategies within farming practices so that the actors of agriculture might counter climate change and continue the development of food chains without harmfully affecting the earth’s environment.

=Water Management, Agroforestry, and the Path Forward

Irrigation is one of the most components of vulnerable Agriculture in areas of water deficit or unpredictability. Water conservation methods such as drips irrigation and rainwater management are better developed to support farmers in water resource management in order to supply crops with water in an efficient way with out wastage. These practices are very important in enhancing crop production during dry season and in areas where water is scarce.

Integrating trees in to agricultural system known and practiced as agroforestry has added advantages in enhance resilience. Trees offer protection and source of shade and Ventilation for the crops besides helping in improving the soil water holding capacity and nutrient cycling. Furthermore, through carbon stock, agroforestry systems are seen to offer potential to combat climate change, additionally, it is considered as a potential tool that may reduce the impact of climate change. Since planting with trees controls the climate, it is not easily devastated by such mishaps as storms and floods.

For expansion of climate reserve agriculture the unity among governments, researchers and giant organizations is highly required. They have to ensure that farmers are supported by availability of training information and financial capital, as well as climate change friendly technologies.

Finally, the shift to climate-smart agriculture will guarantee that present and future population feeds itself despite the ever-rising instances of climatic change hence improving the environment for the future generations.

Ashutosh barik

University/College name : Centurion University of technology and management, Bhubaneswar