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Agriculture is the second-highest, after energy use, source of greenhouse gas emissions, which are released from soils and animal digestion processes and as a result of energy consumption at various stages of agricultural production. However, changes in the management of agricultural systems may mitigate the negative impact of this sector on the atmosphere and climate. This paper presents a literature review on energy consumption in agriculture and the potential of agricultural crop production to assist in mitigation of global warming by increasing absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere. The issue was considered in the context of managing the cultivation of main, catch and cover crops. The potential of carbon sequestration in the above- and below-ground biomass of selected crops was analyzed. It was stated that, depending on the species, main crops can sequester up to 113 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 in whole biomass, while catch or cover crops can sequester up to 14.80 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 and 0.17 CO2 ha−1 yr−1 in the above- and below-ground biomass, respectively. The benefits of the spread of catch or cover crops, such as improvement of soil quality (leading to an increase in primary crop yield by even as much as 65%) and a phytosanitary effect, as well as the barriers that limit the use of catch crops, including the problems with matching crop species to climate and soil conditions and the risk of reducing farmers' income, were considered. The results of the review show that catch crops can assimilate an additional amount of 4 to 6 tonnes CO2 ha−1 yr−1, and thus, spreading of catch crops is an effective way to reduce the climate impact of agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the estimated changes in the soil water content, the total runoff, the sediment yield and the actual evapotranspiration for the small Bystra catchment in the east of Poland. The findings are based on the results of three simulations covering the years of 2041–2050. The simulations were based on a calibrated and validated SWAT model (2010–2017). The first variant covers just the climate change and the existing structure of soil cultivation for the three regional climate models supported by the EC-EARTH global climate model in the emission scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Variants two and three are based on the first variant in terms of the changing climate. The second variant, however, involves placing a pond in each farm in the catchment, while the third variant involves designing huge reservoirs as a result of land consolidation. Variants two and three occur in five adaptation scenarios each. The first adaptation scenario (V2.1 and V3.1) involves only increasing the number of ponds on the farm or increasing the number of reservoirs for non-irrigated arable land crops, i.e., WWHT (winter cereals), BARL (spring cereals), CANP (rapeseed) and CRDY (other crops). The second adaptation scenario (V2.2 and V3.2) involves growing vegetables without irrigation (instead of cereals). The third adaptation scenario (V2.3 and V3.3) involves growing vegetables with irrigation (instead of cereals). The fourth adaptation scenario (V2.4 and V3.4) involves partial cultivation of vegetables and cereals. The fifth adaptation scenario (V2.5 and V3.5) involves partial cultivation of orchards and cereals. The adaptation scenarios of the irrigation of vegetables from deep water-bearing layers (second variant) or reservoirs (third variant) contribute to the increase in water content in the soil, especially in summer, in comparison with the adaptation scenarios for vegetable cultivation without irrigation. What is more, the actual evapotranspiration was higher in the adaptation scenarios involving irrigation than in scenarios without irrigation. It is known that the changes in water content in soil and the intensification of water erosion are gravely affected by modifications in crops and soil cultivation. A change from cereal cultivation to irrigated vegetable cultivation or orchards increased the water content in the soil in most climatic projections. However, the increase in the number of ponds in the second variant had little impact on the soil water content, actual evapotranspiration and overall runoff, while the erosion loss decreased. With the lower precipitation levels in the years 2041–2050 relative to 2010–2017, as presented in the emissive scenario RCP 4.5, the soil water content decreases by up to 14% for most variants. Total runoff for most variants will also be lower by 4–35%. The percentage change in sediment yield will fluctuate between −86% and 116%. On the other hand, the actual evapotranspiration for most variants will be higher. With higher precipitation levels in the years 2041–2050 relative to 2010–2017, as presented in the emissive scenario RCP 8.5, the soil water content changes slightly from −7% to +3%. Total runoff for most variants will also be higher by as much as 43%. Sediment yield for most scenarios may increase by 226%. The actual evapotranspiration for most variants will also be higher. Irrigation variants tend to increase soil available water while increasing evapotranspiration and total outflow in the catchment as compared to non-irrigated LULC. The largest increase in the soil water content is observed in most irrigation variants for RCP 4.5 (annual average 316–319 mm) (V2.3-V2.5, V3.2, and V3.3) and RCP 8.5 (annual average 326–327 mm) (V2.3-V2.5 and V3.3) as compared to V1 (BaU) (315 mm–RCP 4.5 and 324 mm–RCP 8.5) for the years 2041–2050. On the other hand, the lowest increase in soil water content is observed in the V3.5 variant, with an annual average of 292 mm for RCP 4.5 and an annual average of 311 mm for RCP 8.5. Thus, for future climate change scenarios, irrigation with water reservoirs (ponds and storage reservoirs) should be considered. The study proves the rationale behind building ponds in small catchments in order to increase water resources in a landscape and also to counteract adverse effects of climate changes, i.e., sediment outflow and surface water erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Central and North Gondar Zone, climate change is causing a challenge for smallholder farmers to improve their living standards. Rural communities face different climate change variables which negatively affect their livelihoods. Hence, this paper investigates rural households' perception of climate change, its determinants and their indigenous mitigation strategies in response to the perceived impacts of climate change. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and a review of different documents. To carry out the study, a multistage sampling procedure was employed. From each zone, study districts were selected purposively based on their economic activity and agroecological representativeness of the zone. A systematic sampling technique was employed to select 130 rural households. Primary data collected were analyzed by simple descriptive statistics and a logit regression model. The study results revealed that rural households did not similarly perceive climate change due to socioeconomic factors. Socioeconomic factors that significantly (at p≤0.05) determined rural households' perceptions of climate change were age, sex, educational status and access to extension services (at p≤0.01). The finding indicates that smallholder farmers used different indigenous mitigation strategies such as reforestation, minimizing deforestation, planting trees on their farmland and protection and tillage management practices for resolving climate change. According to the study, female-headed households participated less in agricultural training and had less access to information and restricted mobility outside the community to share information that help them to perceive climate change. Hence, equity issues should be considered for female-headed households and concerned bodies such as environmental protection experts and agricultural extension service providers should emphasize the upgrade of the farmer's capacity to mitigate climate change through indigenous knowledge for enhancing their living standard. In addition, development agents' facilitation of indigenous knowledge sharing among farmers should be emphasized to mitigate climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, especially that of CO2, is a major concern because it is the main source leading to global warming, and its impact on climate change is still widely studied. The intensity and frequency of drought and flooding increase due to the change in climate, which has a negative impact on crop productivity and food security. The aim of this paper was to demonstrate the role of corn in carbon sequestration based on plant biomass and soil organic carbon accumulation. We presented the main factors that contribute to carbon sequestration and concrete examples regarding the capacity of corn hybrids created at National Agricultural Research and Development Institute (NARDI) Fundulea, as well as aspects regarding the importance of soil tillage and fertilisation. In contrast to genotypes in which this ratio was lower, maize genotypes that demonstrated a rise in the root:stem ratio under drought stress conditions produced more biomass, suggesting that the roots of these genotypes can grow at water potentials where stem growth is inhibited, which are attributes that also prove their good potential for carbon sequestration under climate change conditions. The organic carbon content in the superficial soil layer decreased with the intensification of the degree of soil mobilisation (9.95% when working the soil with the chisel, 17.91% for ploughing), but fertilisation had a beneficial effect. The biomass was higher than that of the unfertilised soil. This means that a higher carbon input has a positive influence on the carbon stock in the soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent extreme weather events have had severe impacts on UK crop yields, and so there is concern that a greater frequency of extremes could affect crop production in a changing climate. Here we investigate the impacts of future climate change on wheat, the most widely grown cereal crop globally, in a temperate country with currently favourable wheat-growing conditions. Historically, following the plateau of UK wheat yields since the 1990s, we find there has been a recent significant increase in wheat yield volatility, which is only partially explained by seasonal metrics of temperature and precipitation across key wheat growth stages (foundation, construction and production). We find climate impacts on wheat yields are strongest in years with compound weather extremes across multiple growth stages (e.g. frost and heavy rainfall). To assess how these conditions might evolve in the future, we analyse the latest 2.2 km UK Climate Projections (UKCP Local): on average, the foundation growth stage (broadly 1 October to 9 April) is likely to become warmer and wetter, while the construction (10 April to 10 June) and production (11 June to 26 July) stages are likely to become warmer and slightly drier. Statistical wheat yield projections, obtained by driving the regression model with UKCP Local simulations of precipitation and temperature for the UK's three main wheat-growing regions, indicate continued growth of crop yields in the coming decades. Significantly warmer projected winter night temperatures offset the negative impacts of increasing rainfall during the foundation stage, while warmer day temperatures and drier conditions are generally beneficial to yields in the production stage. This work suggests that on average, at the regional scale, climate change is likely to have more positive impacts on UK wheat yields than previously considered. Against this background of positive change, however, our work illustrates that wheat farming in the UK is likely to move outside of the climatic envelope that it has previously experienced, increasing the risk of unseen weather conditions such as intense local thunderstorms or prolonged droughts, which are beyond the scope of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the prospects of Ukraine on the world grain market and ways to increase the efficiency of maize cultivation using environmentally safe technologies in the conditions of the negative impact of climate change and other stress factors. The methodological approach takes into account the peculiarities of agrarian production based on the use of data of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United States Department of Agriculture, United Nations, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and State Statistics Service of Ukraine. The dynamics of world production and export of maize grain, sown areas, production and yield of maize in Ukraine are demonstrated, which directly focuses attention on the competitiveness of Ukrainian maize on the world grain market. These arguments are confirmed by analytical results, which show that in 2022, among the world leaders of maize grain producers, Ukraine took fifth place, and among exporters - fourth. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change and other stress factors on the effective production and export of Ukrainian maize, adaptation measures are proposed, which consist in the application of modern technologies, which include: optimization of the structure of sown areas and scientifically based crop rotations with the effective use of competitive varieties and hybrids of agricultural crops, the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers and plant protection products, the use of soil protective tillage, sideration and mulching, irrigation systems, and also the productive use of plant residues with the application of modern biodestructors. Their comprehensive implementation will contribute to the development of maize yield, grain quality, preservation of biodiversity and the solution of the grain-food problem in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endowment of fertile Gangetic alluvial soil and abundant water resources, particularly groundwater resources altogether constitute core components for development of agriculture in Bihar. Efforts have been made in this paper to analyze factors responsible for changes in land use pattern, especially increase in current fallows, shrinking net sown area and shifting of land for non-agricultural purposes in the state. A larger concentration of current fallow lands was accounted for in Gaya, Patna, Purnea, Munger, Jehanabad and Kishanganj districts. The rainfall and road length have significant impact on the level of current fallows. Erratic monsoon and labour scarcity during the study period of present century resulted in accumulation of current fallow lands. It was further observed that the non-agricultural use of land was identified as the dominant factor for changes in common lands as it affected the current fallows negatively. It is a challenging task for policy makers to maximize the income of farmers from a continuously declining in net sown area, deteriorating climatic conditions as well as labour scarce conditions, thereby resulting in aggregation of current fallows. In order to boost the production and enhance farmer's income, it is necessary to discourage the rising tendency in current fallows or to bring current fallows under cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, Version 2 (RUSLE2), provides robust estimates of average annual sheet and rill erosion for one-dimensional hillslope representations. Extensive databases describing climate, soils, and management options have been devel-oped and are widely used in the United States for conservation planning. Recent RUSLE2 enhancements allow estimation of erosion and runoff from a representative sequence of run-off events that are suitable for linkage with an ephemeral gully model. This paper reviews the sensitivity of RUSLE2 erosion estimates to possible climate change scenarios, demonstrates its ability to evaluate alternative management adaptations, and compares predictions with observations of runoff and sediment yield from a 6.6 ha (16 ac) research watershed located near Treynor, Iowa. When applied to a representative hillslope profile with conventional tillage corn (Zea mays L.), increasing monthly temperature by 0.8°C (1.5°F) and rainfall depth, rain-fall erosivity density, and 10-year, 24-hour rainfall depth each by 10% cumulatively increased sheet and rill erosion by 47% and increased runoff by 33%, assuming there was no change in corn yield. If the climate changes decreased corn yield by 10%, the overall effect was to increase soil loss for conservation planning by 63%.These results demonstrate that modest and expected changes in climate will significantly increase the risk of soil erosion, and improved conservation management will be an important part of successful adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impacts of climate change on natural resources need to be evaluated in a range of geography and agricultural systems for better conservation planning. The objectives of this paper were to evaluate spatial sensitivity of predicted soil loss and runoff to climate change at large scales, and to simulate the ‘regional’ impacts of climate change on soil erosion on the southern Great Plains. Relative climate changes at three spatial scales between 1950 to 99, and 2070 to 99, projected using HadCM3 under the A2a, B2a, and GGa1 emission scenarios, were used to generate changed climates for Chickasha, Oklahoma. The Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) model was run for each climate scenario at three spatial scales with three tillage systems. The HadCM3 predicted a general decrease in precipitation and an increase in the east-west precipitation gradient on the Southern Great Plains over the century. The decrease in precipitation resulted in general decreases in predicted runoff and soil loss. Percent changes, compared to the present climate, ranged from -33 to -3 percent for runoff and from -33 to 0 percent for soil loss. Variability of predicted runoff and soil loss over spatial scales was comparable to that between climate change scenarios. This finding suggests that the climatic impacts should be assessed at the spatial resolution at which global climate models have predictive skill, or at multiple spatial scales if the skillful resolution is unknown. The latter would yield additional information on uncertainty of predicted impacts due to uncertainty of spatial scales of climate input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]