Climate-Smart Agriculture: Adapting Farming Practices to a Changing Climate

Extreme droughts, flooding, and major storms – increasingly supercharged by climate change – have led to widespread yield losses and increasing threats to the global food supply. Yet, food production is also among the greatest drivers of these atmospheric changes, making climate-smart agriculture a pressing necessity.

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Conventional farming practices, poor livestock management and excessive fertilizer application all emit significant amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. Currently, the livestock industry generates 7.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) each year, or some 14.5% of all human GHG emissions worldwide.

Cattle is the biggest culprit, releasing 4.6 gigatons of CO2 – 2.5 GT from beef and 2.1 GT from dairy cows. Methane is especially high from cattle belching, which accounts for 14-16% of global GHG emissions.

Overuse of fertilizers also causes environmental harm, such as polluting waterways and air quality, hindering soil health, and leading to biodiversity loss. Inorganic, nitrogen-based fertilizers – a primary source of non-CO2 gases – and manure are responsible for 70% of ammonia emissions worldwide.

Emissions generated from agriculture and other human practices increase global temperatures and alter weather patterns, making extreme events like floods and droughts more frequent and intense; but they also impact food security, lowering crop yields and disrupting growing seasons. According to one study, human-induced climate change has slowed agricultural production by 21% since 1961 – the same as losing seven years of productivity. Warmer regions like Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America have been hit hardest, enduring a 26-34% reduction.

Adopting climate-smart farming practices is imperative to protect the environment, enhance harvests and ensure food security. The urgency of attaining a resilient and stable food supply is especially critical as experts predict the global population will surpass 10 billion people by the mid-2080s.

What Is Climate-Smart Agriculture?

Climate-smart agriculture promotes adequate resource utilization and farm management to respond to the pressing impacts of the climate crisis.

The world’s poor mostly live in rural areas, whose economies heavily rely on agriculture. The climate-smart farming approach helps smallholder farmers improve decision-making for greater productivity, taking into account local conditions and requiring a holistic approach based on current and future climate change effects and viable adaptation strategies. 

Improving Resource Use Efficiency

The adage “less is more” applies to smart agriculture through precision farming. The idea is to decrease consumption and minimize waste without compromising crop yields. Technologies like variable rate irrigation and targeted fertilization ensure resources end up where growers need them the most, limiting excess and avoiding harmful runoff. Appropriate tillage and cover cropping also improve soil fertility, water retention, and nutrient cycling, creating healthier crops with less dependence on external inputs.

Research shows that using more precise amounts of fertilizer ingredients improves growth. For instance, one study used a highly specific mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which resulted in a 42.42% increase in lettuce yields. Additionally, the right nitrogen and phosphorus levels increase sugar and vitamin C in the plant, proving balance is crucial for quantity and quality.

Potassium is critical for soil health, too. Without enough, plant roots will have difficulty retaining water and receiving the proper nutrients for growth.

Enhancing Resilience and Adaptation 

Climate-smart farms build resistance and adapt to climate change impacts. They require growers to diversify their crops and livestock to diminish climate-induced susceptibilities, such as droughts, disease and pest infestations.

Mixed farming and agroforestry – in which crops, trees, and livestock interact for more yields and less ecological impact – have demonstrated biodiversity and yield gains in 80% of cases, benefiting people and the environment. For instance, tall trees might provide shading to a cornfield while chickens roam and eat bugs.

Using climate-resilient crops and livestock is another viable approach to improving yields and reducing food insecurity. One study found that stress-tolerant beans, pigeon peas, maize and sorghum improved household diet diversity by 40% while improving food availability by 75%. Livestock like Red Maasai sheep and Galla goats achieved the same by 38% and 90%, respectively.

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Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

Although adapting to climate-related changes is crucial for crop production, it is equally important for the agriculture sector to reduce its GHG emissions through climate-smart farming in the following ways:

• Fertilizer management: Limit emissions and pollution through more precise applications and organic solutions.
• Livestock management: Improve feed efficiency and animal waste management to reduce methane.
• Land management: Practice afforestation and no-till farming to strengthen soil carbon stocks.
• Renewable energy: Integrate solar-powered irrigation and biogas production to decrease fossil fuel demand.

According to the Argonne National Laboratory, these smart agriculture techniques could lower GHGs from grain production alone by up to 70% by 2036.

Climate-Smart Farming Practices in Action

Global producers have already embraced climate-smart agriculture practices, understanding that lowering their footprint matters for food stability. In places like Africa and Asia, where climate change impacts have struck the hardest, these principles have paved the way for a more sustainable farming system.

Conservation Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa

Conservation agriculture has been slow to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa, but smallholder farmers who have implemented sustainable methods have reaped the rewards. In one analysis, researchers found that farmers in Ethiopia used conservation agriculture to prevent erosion and enrich the soil while also harvesting rainwater for dry seasons. Meanwhile, Tanzanian farmers have succeeded in intercropping various beans, legumes, and cereal crops as scientists and farmers in Ghana are improving seed varieties to develop different types of maize.

Agroforestry in Southeast Asia

Asian producers have widely implemented agroforestry to enhance agricultural land use and productivity. According to research, agroforestry covers 77.8% of farmland in Southeast Asia. It also appears across 50.5% of agricultural land in East Asia, 27% in South Asia, and 23.6% in Northern and Central Asia.

Precision Irrigation in California

Known for extended droughts and wildfire susceptibility, California has turned to precision irrigation and smart farming techniques to increase crop yields and limit resource use. In one study, its growers used soil sensors to measure moisture content in almond orchards. They reduced water consumption by 33% for irrigation while maintaining optimal yields.

The Role of Technology and Innovation in Smart Agriculture

Technological advancements have driven smart agriculture toward climate resilience, yet not everyone is on board. As of 2023, only 27% of US farms use precision farming to manage crops and livestock, despite it being available since the 1990s. Emerging developments in precision technology include remote sensing to measure crop conditions, in-ground sensors for real-time insights into soil conditions, targeted spray systems and automated mechanical weeders.

All-terrain vehicles with artificial intelligence and machine learning integrations have also improved crop yields by 15-20% and farming operational efficiency by 20-25%. This equipment can navigate uneven ground without damaging crops for essential farm tasks.

Other technologies enhancing climate-smart agriculture include automation and robotics for harvesting, planting, and sorting, including livestock. For instance, robotics has been assisting with sorting produce and dairy cows to improve the momentum and consistency of repetitive tasks. Likewise, genetic engineering has increased crop resistance against disease, pests and inclement weather to enhance food security in vulnerable parts of the world.

Challenges and Considerations for Future Climate-Smart Agriculture

Although climate-smart farming offers a positive outlook for transforming conventional agriculture, producers face several hurdles and barriers to its implementation, such as high initial costs, a lack of policy support and limited knowledge.

Overcoming these burdens requires a multifaceted approach, with comprehensive education and training to teach essential sustainable farming skills. Government-backed incentives, investments, and policy reform will also encourage the uniform adoption and acceptance of such farming changes. Likewise, engineers must continue to advance technologies geared toward smart agriculture to enable producers to resist climate change impacts on crop production.

Climate-Smart Farming Promises a Food-Secure Tomorrow

The agriculture sector can no longer ignore its impact on climate change. Adopting climate-smart agriculture practices is critical for a sustainable future and robust food supply. Although the future may seem grim as this transition is in its infancy, smart farming technologies aim to expedite progress for greener crop production.