limate-Smart Agriculture

Sudeep Ghimire

What are the challenges in adopting climate-smart agriculture?

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach to sustainable agriculture that aims to enhance agricultural productivity, improve resilience to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the adoption of CSA practices faces several challenges, including:

Lack of awareness and knowledge: Many farmers are not aware of the benefits of CSA practices or do not have the knowledge and skills to implement them effectively.

Limited access to technology and finance: CSA practices often require new technologies and investments that are not readily available to smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of the world's farmers.

Policy and institutional barriers: Governments may not have policies or regulations in place to support the adoption of CSA practices, and there may be institutional barriers that prevent smallholder farmers from accessing resources and information.

Socioeconomic factors: Farmers may face socioeconomic barriers, such as gender and income inequality, that limit their ability to adopt CSA practices.

Climate variability and extreme weather events: Climate change impacts, such as droughts and floods, can make it challenging for farmers to adopt and sustain CSA practices, especially in vulnerable regions.

Market access and value chain constraints: The lack of market access and inadequate infrastructure can limit the uptake of CSA practices by smallholder farmers, who may not have the resources to transport and store their crops or negotiate prices with buyers.

Land degradation and soil erosion: Degraded soils and land can limit the effectiveness of CSA practices, as well as the long-term sustainability of agricultural production.

To add to your comprehensive list, another challenge is the lack of soil moisture monitoring capability to optimize irrigation ( in cases where irrigation is practiced).

Crop choice suitable for a region is another strategy. For example, using crops that require less water ( such as dryland millets ).

There are several challenges in adopting climate-smart agriculture, including:

Plant breeding and selection may help to produce new verities of crops more adopted to climate change, these links may help you understand the topic:

More videos on breeding:

Breeding - repeatability of traits https://youtu.be/soxbOHf-mM0

Population parameters and breeding values explained: https://youtu.be/l_ePF9RTyts

How to calculate a Breeding Value: https://youtu.be/zvG3ychxX68

How to predict Selection response (Breeding and Selection) https://youtu.be/tikwKFU1riQ

Plants and Animals Breeding and Selection Methods-2 https://youtu.be/KROyOPvAjMI

How to calculate narrow sense heribtability: https://youtu.be/OkP7_xDuiig

What is selective coefficient and relative fitness: https://youtu.be/XeEx5Feeiq0