The Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture

I. The Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture: Introduction to the IIASA/UNEP Case Studies in Semi-Arid Regions.- List of Contributors.- Abstracts.- 1. The assessment of effects of climatic variations on agriculture: A summary of results from studies in semi-arid regions.- 2. The choice of first-order impact models for semi-arid regions.- 3. Climate and climatic variability in semi-arid regions at low altitudes.- II. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in Central and Eastern Kenya.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- 1. Introduction to the Kenya case study.- 2. Drought climatology and development of the climatic scenarios.- 3. The effects on agroclimatic zones and agricultural production.- 4. The effects on maize yields.- 5. The effects on livestock production.- 6. Smallholder vulnerability and response to drought.- 7. Implications for policy.- Acknowledgments.- References.- III. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in Northeast Brazil.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- 1. Introduction: Drought as a policy and planning issue in Northeast Brazil.- 2. The climatology of droughts and drought prediction.- 3. The effects on crop yields: A simulation approach.- 4. The effects on agricultural production and yields.- 5. Conclusions.- Acknowledgments.- Abbreviations and Acronyms.- References.- IV. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in the Central Sierra of Ecuador.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- 1. Introduction: Vulnerability to climatic variations.- 2. Selection of the climatic scenarios.- 3. The vulnerability of indigenous farming systems to climatic variations.- 4. The effects of climatic variations and agricultural practices on barley yields.- 5. The effects of variations in mean temperatures and frost risk.- 6. The effects on zones of agroclimatic suitability for crops.- 7. The effects on Holdridge Life Zones.- 8. Conclusions and implications for policies of rural development.- References.- V. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in Dry Tropical Regions of India.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Effects of monsoon variability on agriculture.- 3. Effects on agricultural productivity.- 4. Village-level farm adjustment to rainfall variability.- 5. Conclusions and implications.- Acknowledgments.- References.- VI. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in the Semi-arid Zone of the European USSR.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- A. The Stavropol Territory.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Background to the methods, models and scenarios.- 3. The effects on crop production and crop allocation.- 4. Conclusions and implications for agricultural planning and policy.- B. The Saratov Region.- 5. Introduction.- 6. The effects on spring wheat yields.- 7. Optimal strategies for allocating land to grain crops.- 8. Conclusions and recommendations.- References.- VII. The Effects of Climatic Variations on Agriculture in the Australian Wheatbelt.- List of Contributors.- Abstract.- 1. Introduction: Policy and planning issues for the Australian wheat industry.- 2. Climatic patterns and variability in the Australian wheatbelt.- 3. Socioeconomic impacts of climatic variability.- 4. Implications for policy makers and planners.- Acknowledgments.- References.