Impact of Climate Change on Agroecosystems and Potential Adaptation Strategies

Abstract

Agriculture is currently one of the leading economic sectors most impacted by climate change. Due to its great field of application and its susceptibility to meteorological variability, the effects of climate change on agriculture have significant social and economic consequences for human well-being. Moreover, the increasing need for land spaces for population growth has produced strong competition between food and urbanization, leading to a loss of the agroecosystem that supports food security. This review aims to understand the main risks generated by climate change in agricultural production and the potential strategies that can be applied to increase agriculture’s resilience. Agricultural risk can be linked to the decrease in the productivity of foods, weed overgrowth at the crops expense, increase in parasites, water availability, soil alteration, negative impact on production costs and consequent change in the adopted cultivars, reduction in the pollination process, intense fires, and alteration of product quality. Thus, climate change can impact the provisioning of ecosystem services, reducing food security in terms of quantity and quality for future generations. Finally, in this review, we report the main adaptation strategies to increase agroecosystem resilience in adverse environments generated by climate change. Mainly, we highlight new technologies, such as new breeding technologies and agrivoltaic and smart agricultural applications, which, combined with agroecosystems, can reduce the agricultural risks following climate change (for example, drought events and low availability of water). We suggest that the combination of natural capital and technologies can be defined as an “innovation-based solution” able to support and increase ecosystem service flow in agroecosystems.

Bibliometric analysis of publications on the effect of animal production on climate change from past to present

“…Maintaining the world's rapid economic growth while tackling the global issue of climate change presents a big challenge. The latter is largely attributable to the excessive release of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as a result of protracted and intensive industrial expansion, as well as the activities in other sectors such as agricultural and livestock production (Semeraro et al, 2023).…”

Climate change and dairy farming sustainability; a causal loop paradox and its mitigation scenario

“…The latter is mostly attributed to the excessive release of GHG into the atmosphere as a result of prolonged and intensive industrial expansion, as well as the activities in other sectors such as agricultural and livestock production. The fluctuating conditions have the potential to modify the geographical distribution and quality of diverse natural resources, hence negatively impacting the means of livelihood, such as agricultural and livestock farming [ 5 ]. The future of the sustainable development pathway is predicted mainly in correlation with its unique resource endowments, its adherence to its civilizational legacy and the maintenance of ecological balance.…”

Effects of the Agrivoltaic System on Crop Production: The Case of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.)

“…The agroecosystem involves the dynamic interplay between natural resources and human-derived capital, encompassing human efforts and technologies devoted to increase our overall well-being [1][2][3][4]. It has a primary role to support food security, ensuring universal access to a sufficient and safe supply of nutritious food that adheres to the quality parameters promoting human health [5].…”