"SEC | S20W1: Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture"

Welcome! Welcome!! Welcome!!! In my post, I have discussed climate change. Agriculture contributes positively to our country and we need to know how agricultural productivity is affected by climate change.

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Describe in detail how agricultural productivity is affected by climate change.

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Agricultural productivity can significantly be impacted by climate change through different mechanisms which include both direct and indirect. However, temperature increases, availability of water, soil heat, pest disease, and weeds are some of the ways through which climate agricultural productivity is affected by climate change. Let's get to talk about each of them in detail.

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Temperature Increases

Yields of staples can be reduced by higher temperatures and crops such as maize, rice, and wheat usually get affected by high temperatures. When there is high heat the growth of a plant or crop can be shortening which affects the time the plant or crop would have produced. This is also can affect the feeding of livestock.

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Availability of Water

When there are prolonged or frequent droughts it can lead to the decrease of soil moisture, thereby limiting the growth of plants or crops. Also, the availability of water increases flooding which can wash an entire farmland away. A good example, of flooding, is the flooding that occurred a few days ago in Borno State, Nigeria.

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Soil Health

When there is extreme rainfall soil erosion is the next thing that comes in like removing the fertile topsoil that is good for the growth of a crop.

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Pests, Diseases, and Weeds

Pests don't survive during the winter season, but when there is constant rainfall the pets can survive and crops can be affected by pets which are parasites to crops.

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Discuss how extreme rains and extreme droughts damage crops.

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Both can cause severe damage to crops, but both affect agricultural productivity in so many ways, which presents farmers with challenges. Below is what I can say about both extreme rains and extreme droughts.

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Extreme Rains and Crop Damage

Root suffocation and waterlogging.

The impact of this is that when soil is over-saturated with water for a long period due to heavy rainfall, it loses what is known as "air pockets which are important for oxygen to get to the root of the plant.

Loss of Topsoil and Soil Erosion

Extreme rain can also cause soil erosion, most especially in sloped farmland. Erosion can remove the topsoil which is important for the growth of a plant without topsoil most plants find it difficult to grow. Other affected ways are: brooding, nutrient leaching, disease, and delay in planting/harvesting.

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Extreme Droughts and Crop Damage

Hydration and Water Stress

When there are extreme droughts the level of soil moisture usually drops rapidly which makes it hard for plants or crops to absorb water from roots. Iris said that plants depend on water for photosynthesis, nutrients, and growth and to absorb water the growth of crops is affected.

Reduce The Uptake of Nutrients

Plants/crops struggle to grow when there is not enough water to absorb nutrients from the soil. Plants need phosphorous and nitrogen for growth and lack of the intake of such can affect crops/plants. Other affected ways are; soil degradation, crop failure, heat stress, and increase in pets.

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Discuss in stages how new pests and diseases are emerging as a result of climate change AND what measures farmers can take to prevent them.

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What contributes to the emergency of disease and pets in agriculture is climate change through altering environmental and ecosystem change which is a big challenge to farmers. Below is a discussion of how new pets and diseases are emerging due to climate change.

Change in climate zone and temperature:
When global temperatures rise, the rate at which pets and diseases occur usually differ. When the climate is warm certain types of insects like viruses, bacteria, and pets don't usually survive.

Increase in pet survival over the winter season:
During the winter season, pets survive more than during the cold season. When temperatures or weather is cold pets hardly find it to survive because of how cold the weather conditions are.

Measure

The measures that farmers can take are;

• Integrated pest management which is a technique of minimizing damage by reducing pets.

• Monitoring and taking action quickly. Farmers should monitor their farms and crops so they can detect early pests or diseases.

The other measures farmers can take are:

• Crop rotation and diversification
• Adopting climate-resilient crop varieties
• Water management
• Biological control

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Discuss what changes in irrigation systems are required due to climate change.

The changes in irrigation systems that are required due to climate change are;

Shift toward water-efficient irrigation technologies

This involves this; drop irrigation and delivery of water directly to zoomed of crops.

• Micro-sprinkler system which uses small water crops to control the localized manner of water on the plants.

Adoption of smart system

• Automated irrigation systems make use of sensors and timers to control when and how much water is needed to be controlled. Farmers can use this technique to control water in their farmland

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Explain the two best ways to respond to climate change.

The two best ways to respond to climate change are:
Adaptation and Mitigation. These two strategies are important for addressing the causes of climate change and its impact.

Adaptation

This is a strategy that focuses on adjusting both the future and current impact of climate change. It involves farmers making infrastructure changes, and protecting of community under adoption we have building climate-resilient infrastructure.

Adopting involves the following;

• Early warning of disaster and systems.
• Restoring ecosystem
• Urban planning to minimize hear land effect.

Mitigation

This is the strategy that focuses on minimizing emissions of gasses. It is a strategy that helps to slow down the rate of climate change by finding the root cause of climate change. Enhancing and transitioning are the important aspects of this strategy.

Mitigation involves the following;

• Afforestation and reforestation which involves tree planting
• Shifting of agricultural practices.

I am inviting: @pelon53, @dove11, @simonnwigwe, and @ruthjoe

Cc:-
@xkool24