Resilient agriculture : cultivating food systems for a changing climate / Laura Lengnick.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sustaining agriculture in a changing climate -- Understanding exposure -- Understanding sensitivity -- Understanding adaptive capacity -- Vegetables -- Fruits and nuts -- Grains -- Livestock -- New times, new tools : managing for resilience -- Cultivating food systems for a changing climate.

North American agriculture is tremendously vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Extreme weather, drought, and flooding are some of the more obvious culprits, but changing temperatures and other environmental factors also have far-reaching effects on planting and harvest dates, yields, and pests and diseases. Livestock is threatened by heat waves, lack of sufficient water, and a decrease in the quantity and quality of available forage. Resilient Agriculture recognizes the critical role that sustainable agriculture will play in the coming decades and beyond. The latest research on climate risk, resilience, and adaptation strategies is blended with the personal experience of farmers and ranchers including: The strange changes in weather recorded over the last decadeThe associated shifts in crop and livestock behaviorThe actions taken to maintain productivity in a changing climateThe climate challenge is real, and it is here now. We must begin making social, ecological, and economic changes to increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of North American agriculture and enjoy sustained production of food, fiber, and fuel well into the twenty-first century. The rich knowledge base described in Resilient Agriculture is poised to serve as the cornerstone of our evolving, climate-ready food system.Laura Lengnick is a researcher, policymaker, activist, educator, and farmer whose work explores the community-enhancing potential of agriculture and food systems. She directs the academic program in sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and was a lead author of the report Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation.

North American agriculture is tremendously vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Extreme weather, drought, and flooding are some of the more obvious culprits, but changing temperatures and other environmental factors also have far-reaching effects on planting and harvest dates, yields, and pests and diseases. Livestock is threatened by heat waves, lack of sufficient water, and a decrease in the quantity and quality of available forage. Resilient Agriculture recognizes the critical role that sustainable agriculture will play in the coming decades and beyond. The latest research on climate risk, resilience, and adaptation strategies is blended with the personal experience of farmers and ranchers including: The strange changes in weather recorded over the last decadeThe associated shifts in crop and livestock behaviorThe actions taken to maintain productivity in a changing climateThe climate challenge is real, and it is here now. We must begin making social, ecological, and economic changes to increase the adaptive capacity and resilience of North American agriculture and enjoy sustained production of food, fiber, and fuel well into the twenty-first century. The rich knowledge base described in Resilient Agriculture is poised to serve as the cornerstone of our evolving, climate-ready food system.Laura Lengnick is a researcher, policymaker, activist, educator, and farmer whose work explores the community-enhancing potential of agriculture and food systems. She directs the academic program in sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and was a lead author of the report Climate Change and U.S. Agriculture: Effects and Adaptation.

Issued also in electronic format.