Climate Change and Agroforestry: Adaptation, Mitigation and Livelihood Security

Climate change, resulted from the rise in global temperature, drives many stressors which make it difficult to predict the outcome in a general way. However, impact of climate change is so far more visible in agriculture than other sectors. Rise in temperature causes oxidation of soil organic carbon and affect biogeochemical processes and mechanisms, which make soil health and productive potential of soils weaker. It also affects weather at local regional and global scale, and hydrological cycle as well, which result in drought, flood, cyclones etc. Simultaneously it impinges directly upon reproductive biology of crops by reducing pollen viability and making spikelets sterile, which result in crop yield reduction. In India, impact of climate change on agriculture is predicted to occur more in northern parts, where wheat production may suffer losses of 4-5 million tons for each degree rise in temperature. Rice, pearl millet, soybean are other crops in that line. Globally, it has been predicted to have a huge burden in future as the world needs to feed nine billion population by the turn of the 21st century. Several techniques like conservation agriculture, integrated farming, crop diversification and carbon sequestration through agroforestry advocated helping climate change mitigation and adaptation have been discussed in detail in this book. Therefore, this book serves as a repository of information on climate change, mitigation and adaptation in relation to agroforestry, which can be useful to planner, researchers and undergraduate and post graduate students pursuing studies in the field of agricultural and allied sciences.