Contributions to Climate Change Solutions from the Agronomy Perspective.

Farmers will have numerous adaptation strategies for minimizing the negative effects from climate change and for taking advantage of the opportunities. These range from changing crop varieties or diversifying cropping systems, to improving pest monitoring and pest control measures, to capital investments such as expanding irrigation or drainage capacity. Climate change preparedness makes good business sense, but a challenge for farm managers will be uncertainties regarding the optimum timing of adaptation investment, and the optimum magnitude of adaptation investment relative to the risks. New information delivery systems and decision tools for farmers will be needed, along with policy incentives and financial assistance to facilitate adaptation and mitigation. Inequities in availability of capital or information for strategic adaptation will be an issue for some sectors of the agriculture economy. In addition, the polarized political debate surrounding climate change creates unique challenges for communication of science-based solutions. Many options for improving energy efficiency, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and sequestering soil carbon are cost-neutral or can actually improve net profits, while having co-benefits for the environment. The integration of conservation agriculture and soil health management with climate change adaptation and mitigation emphasizes not only crop productivity, food security and human nutrition, but also promotes healthy forests, biodiversity, and improved water supply and quality. Farmers in both developed and developing nations will need new tools for on-farm accounting and management of greenhouse gases, carbon, and nitrogen to take advantage of energy efficiency policy incentives and carbon market opportunities.