August 2009: The World Bank published a report that identifies and summarizes potential climate change impacts on agriculture in the developing world, examines causes of vulnerability, and suggests where investments are needed to better climate-proof agriculture.
The report, authored by Jon Padgham and titled “Agricultural development under a changing climate: opportunities and challenges for adaptation,” concludes, inter alia, that: diversification of rural livelihoods through agricultural microenterprise development can reduce exposure to climate risks; farmer access to credit and information are important for adaptation to climate change; and increased flooding poses the greatest potential risk from climate change on urban and periurban agriculture. It also highlights that using untreated wastewater for irrigation and food production comes with substantial health and environmental risks, which will only increase with climate change. As a result, better wastewater treatment facilities and risk minimization policies for wastewater use are key challenges for adaptation. [The Report]