Kant, Rashmi (2015) Climate change and agriculture farming in Samoa – risks, mitigation and adaptation. UNSPECIFIED.
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Impacts of climate change have been felt throughout the globe. The recent rise in incidences of tropical storms, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic eruptions in the Pacific island countries make the region most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Samoa is ranked 6th in terms of percentage of population exposed to climate change risks, at 21.4 per cent of the population. Majority of the Samoan population (>80%) is dependent on Agriculture and allied areas, and the production is dependent on the rainfall. Recent statistics suggest that rainfall pattern became uneven, where a greater proportion of the precipitation is associated with high intensity rainfall and storms that led to frequent flooding and pronounced dry season or drought. Majority of agricultural land in Samoa is located on coastal areas which are vulnerable to coastal inundation, erosion and salinization. High rainfall and humidity condition is conducive to frequent outbreaks of pest and diseases and evolution of new strains of pathogens and pests that pose direct threat to food production and security. Further, adverse effects on pest and natural enemies’ interactions may lead to increased imports and intensive use of chemicals and pesticide in Samoa agriculture. This, of course is a recipe for environmental pollution and impact on human health. Thus, changes in climatic conditions would directly impact the subsistence and commercial agriculture and become the main barrier to sustainable agriculture development and food production. Search for adaptive measures to build resilient agriculture production system is of utmost importance in the current situation. Our study suggests the diversification of agriculture could be possible steps to overcome future pest outbreaks. Screening and development of salt tolerant cultivars of staple crops especially root and tuber crops could be a useful step towards adapting to climate change. Disease virulence and pest infestation simulation modelling approach could help in understanding the possible impact of new disease strains on the existing agricultural system.
| Item Type: | Other |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | No information is available for this article |
| Subjects: | S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Agriculture and Food Technology |
| Depositing User: | Rashmi Kant |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Apr 2016 04:11 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Sep 2016 02:39 |
| URI: | https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/8452 |
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