Alternative Crops

As climate change occurs, different crops will need to be planted on land that previously grew other foods. Those areas of the world that will experience the most severe changes in temperature will need to make drastic decisions as to what crops are grown. Fortunately, changing temperatures will also present some opportunities for farmers, especially in East Africa.¹

History and Development

Research has shown that there will be declines in production of staple foods over the next 40 years, although these decreases will not be distributed equally throughout all regions. Favored locations will need to be farmed intensively, while crops will need to be changed in regions hardest hit by changing temperatures. A study done by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has simulated "likely shifts in cropping, using a combination of two climate change models and two scenarios for greenhouse gas emissions, together with state-of-the-art models for maize and beans, two of the region's primary staple foods."²

Advantages and Disadvantages

Tropical highlands in East Africa would most likely favor food crops, with boosts in output and increased yields.

More humid areas of east africa will probably experience decreases of maize and bean crops.

Drylands will experience a significant decline in production of both maize and bean crops.

Applications

Drought tolerant varieties of maize and beans may be able to make up for lost productivity due to changing climate. In areas experiencing the most intense changes in climate, farmers will most likely have to substitute other staple crops for those that they habitually plant. Sorghum or millet might thrive better under changing conditions. Additionally, areas experiencing intense temperature change might switch to a more livestock intensive practice, where that livestock can feed on the more hardy grasses that would grow under the changed conditions.

Additionally, land that cannot be used for growing staple foods can be by the Africa Biocarbon Initiative, a project whose goal it is to sequester massive amounts of carbon in Africa. Land that is no longer suited to growing food could be used to grow crops that would sequester carbon for long periods of time, thereby contributing to mitigation of climate change.

Footnotes

1. Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (2009, November 3). Climate Change Could Create Agricultural Winners And Losers In East Africa, New Study Warns. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2009/11/091102204438.htm

2. ibid

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