• Climate change mitigation in agricultural production

Mitigation is defined as the “human intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases and reduction of climate change effect.” Mitigating climate change is the activities of reducing the release of greenhouse gas emissions that are warming our planet. Mitigation strategies include retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient; adopting renewable energy sources like solar, wind and small hydro; helping cities develop more sustainable transport such as bus rapid transit, electric vehicles, and biofuels; and promoting more sustainable uses of land and forests. About 1.4 billion people around the world rely on traditional fuels like coal and wood to meet their basic energy needs. This is not only harmful to the environment; it can also lead to premature deaths for millions of people, especially women and children. By 2035, global energy demand is projected to grow by more than 50 percent, and even faster in developing countries. All these new consumers need clean energy that will not hurt them or the environment. The 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the urgency of the needed climate actions: global emissions will need to peak by 2030 and rapidly decrease to net-zero by 2050 if we are to be able to stay within the safety limits established by the Paris Agreement.

Agriculture is a significant source of GHG emissions, but at the same time, it offers tremendous potential for mitigating climate change. Agricultural production accounts for over a third of global GHG emissions mainly in the form of CH4 and N₂O from fertilized soils, enteric fermentation, biomass burning, as well as manure and fertilizer production. In addition, contributors to the release of CO₂ into the atmosphere are land-use changes and soil degradation. Through practices that capitalize on natural biological processes, crop production can provide an opportunity to mitigate climate change in two ways: by storing carbon and by reducing GHG emissions.

The classical mitigation options in the agricultural sector at large include:-

• Forest-related measures which, reducing of deforestation, increasing afforestation and reforestation;
• On-farm renewable energy production (solar panels and wind turbines, minimizing use of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, and reducing dependence on fossil fuel inputs for farming, storage, and transportation of crops).
• Conservation agriculture (terracing, dam etc…)
• Improved farming systems with several crop rotations;
• Promotion of legumes in crop rotations;
• Growing cover crops;
• Mulch cropping;
• Restoration of cultivated peaty soils and degraded lands;
• Soil management practices that reduce fertilizer use (e.g. Urea deep placement);
• Emission control and reduction of livestock production system (animal waste);
  • Climate change adaptation in the agriculture  production

Adaptation is the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate and its effects. Climate change adaptation also refers to adjustments in ecological, social and economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli, their effects or impacts. It also refers to changes in processes, practices, and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate. In short, climate change adaptation is defined as activities that aim “to reduce the vulnerability of human or natural systems to the impacts of climate change and climate-related risks, by maintaining or increasing adaptive capacity and resilience.

 Environmental stresses have always had an impact on crop and livestock production, and farmers have always looked for ways to manage these stresses. Adaptation to climate variability and extreme events serves as the basis for reducing vulnerability to long-term climate change. Climate change adaptation requires more than simply maintaining the current level of performance from the agricultural sector, it requires developing a set of responses that allow the sector to improve performance under the changing conditions brought about by climate change. Because agricultural production remains the main source of income for most rural communities, adaptation of the agricultural sector to the adverse effects of climate change will be imperative for protecting and improving the livelihoods of the poor and ensuring food security.

Adaptation to climate change serves as the basis for reducing vulnerability to long-term climate change. The most used and simple adaptation measures in the agricultural production includes,

• Rearing of drought tolerate livestock breed
• Using improved livestock feeding strategy
• Using climate-ready crops or thermal stress-tolerant varieties
• Adjusting planting dates
• Improving water conservation and management practices
• Using efficient irrigation and fertilizer management
• Diversifying crops
• Improving pest management could help reduce the impacts of climate change.
• Apart from those, reliable local weather information and early warning systems for farmers will be useful in minimizing risks of climatic threats.
  • Relationships between Climate change and the agriculture production

Agriculture and climate change is a two-way street: agriculture is not only affected by climate change but has a significant effect on it in return. Climate change and agriculture are interrelated processes. Climate change effects on agriculture are unevenly distributed across the world. It can affect agriculture both directly and indirectly. Although, agriculture is an economic activity that is highly dependent upon weather and climate in order to produce the food and fiber necessary to sustain human life. This makes agriculture highly dependent on consistent temperature ranges and water availability, which are exactly what climate change threatens to undermine.

Whereas, agricultural activities are a significant source of GHGs that aggravate climate disruption which are, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. On the other hand, agriculture also provides opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.