Role of Conservation Agriculture under Changing Climate Scenario

Abstract

Climatic changes and increasing climatic variability are likely to aggravate the problems of future food security by exerting pressure on agriculture. The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change has projected the temperature increase to be between 1.1 °C and 6.4 °C by the end of the 21^st Century (IPCC, 2007). To deal with the impact of climate change, the potential adaptation strategies are: modifying crop management practices, improving water management, adopting new farm techniques such as resource conserving technologies (RCTs), crop diversification, improving pest management, better weather forecasting and harnessing the indigenous technical knowledge of farmers. Conservation agriculture is also a way to achieve goals of enhanced productivity and profitability while protecting natural resources and environment in this changing climatic scenario. This article attempts to provide the overall concept of conservation agriculture and its role in mitigating the effect of climate change.