Today, climate change is one of the most crucial environmental challenges with serious negative socio-economic consequences. Although, triggered both by natural and human induced reasons, climate change is underway since centuries with increasing frequency and intensity in recent decades compared to the past trends. During the last few decades, human activities related mainly to industrial production, agriculture and transportation emerged as the major contributor to the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. According to the scientists the concentration of the GHGs, especially Carbon Dioxide (CO2), has increased by 70 % since 1970 (EU Agriculture, 2007). Increasing concentration of GHGs emissions is causing global warming (i.e. increase in the Earth’s surface mean temperature) which is one of the most common manifestations of climate change. In addition, timing and amount of rainfall is changing, level of precipitation become highly variable and occurrence of extreme weather events like floods, draughts, cyclones and storms is more often compared to the past. Changes in these important variables have severe negative implications for human binges as they affect negatively the availability of basic necessities like food and water and deteriorate the health conditions.

Undoubtedly, agriculture sector is extremely vulnerable to the climate change mainly due to its higher dependence on climate and weather conditions. Impact of climate change on some important indicators like temperature, rainfall, soil moisture and Carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration are very crucial for the agriculture sector and food production across the globe. Increasing temperatures reduces yields of many important crops and thus encourages the weed and pest proliferation. Changes in precipitation patterns increase the chances of crop failure and hence decrease in production. However, globally impacts of climate change on agriculture sector are uneven and some regions are expected to be more affected than the others. Developing countries in arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid regions are more vulnerable to climate change compared to the developed countries due, mainly, to their existing warm climate and higher variability of rainfall and precipitation.

Online Electronic Version

Climate Change: Impacts on Agriculture in OIC Member Countries (English)