Publication Abstracts

McDermid et al. 2015

McDermid, S.P., G. Dileepkumar, K.M.D. Murthy, S. Nedumaran, P. Singh, C. Srinivasa, B. Gangwar, N. Subash, A. Ahmad, L. Zubair, and S.P. Nissanka, 2015: Integrated assessments of the impacts of climate change on agriculture: An overview of AgMIP regional research in South Asia. In Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems: The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Integrated Crop and Economic Assessments, Part 2. C. Rosenzweig and D. Hillel, Eds., ICP Series on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation, vol. 3, Imperial College Press, pp. 201-218, doi:10.1142/9781783265640_0018.

South Asia encompasses a wide and highly varied geographic region, and includes climate zones ranging from the mountainous Himalayan territory to the tropical lowland and coastal zones along alluvial floodplains. The region's climate is dominated by a monsoonal circulation that heralds the arrival of seasonal rainfall, upon which much of the regional agriculture relies. The spatial and temporal distribution of this rainfall is, however, not uniform over the region. Northern South Asia, central India, and the west coast receive much of their rainfall during the southwest monsoon season, between June and September. These rains partly result from the mositure transport accompanying the monsoonal winds, which move in the southwesterly direction from the equatorial Indian Ocean. Regions further south, such as south/southeast India and Sr Lanka, may receive rains from both the southwest monsoon, and also during the northeast monsoon season between October and December (with northeasterly monsoon wind flow and moisture flux), which results in a bi- or multi-modal rainfall distribution. In addition, rainfall across South Asia displays a large amount of intraseasonal and interannual variability. Interannual variability is influenced by many drivers, both natural (e.g., El Niñ-Southern Oscillation; ENSO) and man-made (e.g., rising temperatures due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations), and it is challenging to obtaining accurate time-series of annual rainfall, even amongst various observed data products, which display inconsistencies amongst themselves. These climatic and rainfall variations can further complicate South Asia's agricultural and water management.

Agriculture employs at least 65% of the workforce in most South Asian countries, and nearly 80% of South Asia's poor inhabit rural areas. Understanding the response of current agricultural production to climate variability and future climate change is of utmost importance in securing food and livelihoods for South Asia's growing population. In order to assess the future of food and livelihood security across South Asia, the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) has undertaken integrated climate-crop-economic assessments of the impact of climate change on food security and poverty in South Asia, encompassing Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. AgMIP has funded, on a competitive basis, four South Asian regional research teams (RRTs) and one South Asian coordination team (CT) to undertake climate-crop-economic integrated assessments of food security for many districts in each of these countries, with the goal of characterizing the state of food security and poverty across the region, and projecting how these are ubject to change under future climate change conditions.

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BibTeX Citation

@inbook{mc09000j,
  author={McDermid, S. P. and Dileepkumar, G. and Murthy, K. M. D. and Nedumaran, S. and Singh, P. and Srinivasa, C. and Gangwar, B. and Subash, N. and Ahmad, A. and Zubair, L. and Nissanka, S. P.},
  editor={Rosenzweig, C. and Hillel, D.},
  title={Integrated assessments of the impacts of climate change on agriculture: An overview of AgMIP regional research in South Asia},
  booktitle={Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems: The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Integrated Crop and Economic Assessments, Part 2},
  year={2015},
  volume={3},
  pages={201--218},
  publisher={Imperial College Press},
  address={London},
  series={ICP Series on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation},
  doi={10.1142/9781783265640_0018},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - CHAP
ID  - mc09000j
AU  - McDermid, S. P.
AU  - Dileepkumar, G.
AU  - Murthy, K. M. D.
AU  - Nedumaran, S.
AU  - Singh, P.
AU  - Srinivasa, C.
AU  - Gangwar, B.
AU  - Subash, N.
AU  - Ahmad, A.
AU  - Zubair, L.
AU  - Nissanka, S. P.
ED  - Rosenzweig, C.
ED  - Hillel, D.
PY  - 2015
TI  - Integrated assessments of the impacts of climate change on agriculture: An overview of AgMIP regional research in South Asia
BT  - Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems: The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) Integrated Crop and Economic Assessments, Part 2
T3  - ICP Series on Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation, and Mitigation
VL  - 3
SP  - 201
EP  - 218
DO  - 10.1142/9781783265640_0018
PB  - Imperial College Press
CY  - London
ER  -

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