Editor’s choice
Editor’s choice
This modeling study explores – spatially explicitly, for current and projected future climate, and for different management intensity levels – the potential for increasing global crop production through on-farm water management strategies.
A moderate scenario, implying both a 25% reduction in evaporation and a 25% collection of runoff, suggests that global crop production can be increased by 19%, which is comparable with the effect of current irrigation (17%). Climate change alone (three climate models, SRES A2r emissions and population, constant land use) will reduce global crop production by 9% by
2050, which could be buffered by a vapor shift level of 50% or a water harvesting level of 25%.
Even if realization of the beneficial effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration upon plants was ensured (by fertilizer use) in tandem with the above moderate water management scenario, the water available on current cropland will not meet the requirements of a world population of 9–10 billion.
Journal article / This Nature Climate Change column illustrates how climate resilient development (CRD) can support urgently needed climate and adaptation policies.
Program / ENACTS transforms fragmented climate data into actionable intelligence, enabling governments and communities to make smarter, climate-resilient decisions.
Tool / The Climate Data Tool is an open-source climate data processing and visualization software.
