Adaptations and Solutions

Workshop in Kombewa, Kenya - agricultural adaptation through local participation. Photo by A. Wikman

The effects of climate change on agriculture are immense in regards to food security and the well-being of those in developed nations. Varying climate factors caused by increased greenhouse gases would lead to large repercussions in terms of how much crop yield is produced in the future. However, it must also be noted that the heavy livestock factory farming of developed nations as well as increased land-use in general contributes largely to the onset of climate change. Thus, what has arisen is a larget yet multi-faceted issue that cannot be resolved with a simple fix or change, and requires the large effort of many changes, especially within developed countries in order to remedy this issue. Although the problem may seem large and complex, there has been some solutions that have been proposed and may be effective.


1) Reduce livestock production in developed countries:
Since most of the greenhouse gases emitted from the agricultural sector arises from the gas emitted from livestock (methan, nitrous oxide), one strategy that has been proposed is to reduce overall livestock production. Since a lot of fossil fuel is consumed to maintain and raise up these animals, reducing the number of livestock that is maintained would not only reduce the methane and nitrous oxide, but would also reduce fossil fuel consumption by various machines used to raise these animals. Reducing livestock would also reduce the amount of land-use required to feed these animals.

Amount of energy input needed to produce 1kg of various meats

2) Alter livestock production for maximum efficiency:
Another strategy that has been proposed is to maximize the meat that can be yielded off each animal in order to reduce the net amount of greenhouse gas emissions by the entire livestock population. This strategy entais that the animal is injected with growth hormones and that the animal is worked harder in order to retrieve as much dairy or eggs as possible. Although this strategy may seem viable, it has been met with skepticism due to the outright moral and ethical implications that come along with the strategy.


3) In terms of how crop yield can be increased to stave off increasing world hunger, some ideas have been proposed, all of which revolve around either reducing risk and minimizing yield reductions, or developing resilient crop varieties that can withstand changes in climate. . Most of these adaptations have been designed to increase resilience to climate change through innovations in technology and management of various farming systems. Additionally, these crop adaptations would be most invested in the poorest regions of the world, since these regions are the most likely ones to be affected. Examples of adaptations are:

• Innovations in irrigation in developing countries
• Shifting of cropland to northern latitudes towards a milder climate
• Reformation of the global food system

Although these and other potential solutions are being explored, it is important to note that waiting around for researchers and policymakers to implement review and implement these strategies may exacerbate the problem. Thus, it is important that everyone, especially those in developed nations, tries to make conscious decisions on how much meat they are eating and tries to be aware of how their actions may impact greenhouse gas emissions. 


To get involved on how you can become more involved in a local scale in order to slow down carbon emissions through better food choices, please check out some of these great links below:


http://www.sustainabletable.org/home.php
http://www.takeabite.cc/
http://brightergreen.org/