Agricultural Adaptation to a Changing Climate: Economic and Environmental Implications Vary by U.S. Region

Scott A. Malcolm, Elizabeth Marshall (emm2t@virginia.edu), Marcel P. Aillery, Paul W. Heisey, Michael Livingston and Kelly A. Day-Rubenstein

No 127734, Economic Research Report from United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service

Abstract: Global climate models predict increases over time in average temperature worldwide, with significant impacts on local patterns of temperature and precipitation. The extent to which such changes present a risk to food supplies, farmer livelihoods, and rural communities depends in part on the direction, magnitude, and rate of such changes, but equally importantly on the ability of the agricultural sector to adapt to changing patterns of yield and productivity, production cost, and resource availability. Study findings suggest that, while impacts are highly sensitive to uncertain climate projections, farmers have considerable fl exibility to adapt to changes in local weather, resource conditions, and price signals by adjusting crops, rotations, and production practices. Such adaptation, using existing crop production technologies, can partially mitigate the impacts of climate change on national agricultural markets. Adaptive redistribution of production, however, may have signifi cant implications for both regional land use and environmental quality.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Environmental Economics and Policy; Farm Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 84
Date: 2012-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr and nep-env
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersrr:127734

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.127734

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