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Effects of climate change on water and U.S. agriculture; Cooley congressional testimony points to growing vulnerability of food systems

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 20, 2009 at 7:29 am

From the Pacific Institute, this press release:

The evidence is in: climate change is not coming, it is here, and today Congress considered climate change impacts on our national food supply. Agriculture is a water-intensive industry, using some 70% of the nation’s freshwater resources. The impacts of climate change on these water resources will have major consequences for agriculture, according to the Congressional testimony of Heather Cooley, senior research associate of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California. Cooley’s testimony was provided to the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming for the Hearing on Global Warming Effects on Agriculture and Forestry on Thursday, June 18, 2009.

“The agricultural sector is particularly vulnerable to climate change because it is directly tied to land and water resources,” Cooley testified. “Even modest changes in temperature and precipitation patterns, the length of growing seasons, or the frequency of extreme events will have large consequences for many farmers.”

Adaptation measures taken now can substantially reduce the risk of climate change for the agricultural sector, according to the Pacific Institute, but the measures will require federal government support, especially in:
- better management of surface and groundwater resources and improvements in water conservation and efficiency;
- outreach to the agricultural community about the impacts of climate change and potential adaptation strategies;
- additional research and development, particularly in regional assessments and better weather forecasting.

“Many of the impacts of climate change are now unavoidable,” said Cooley in her testimony. “For instance, throughout the nation, surface water supplies will be increasingly out-of-phase with agricultural water needs as runoff declines during summer months, when agricultural water demand peaks. But studies show that adaptation by farmers can substantially reduce the risk of climate change for the agricultural sector, even up to 50%.”

In written testimony, Cooley and Pacific Institute Senior Research Associate Dr. Juliet Christian-Smith report significant potential to reduce agricultural water use, thereby reducing vulnerability to drought and other water-supply constraints. In California, for example, the Pacific Institutes estimates that widely available technologies and management practices can reduce agricultural water use by 10% and probably by substantially more. By improving agricultural water use efficiency, farmers reduce their vulnerability to water supply constraints.

“Many conservation practices require substantial investment, and new policies and funding that promote climate change adaptation should be introduced into the Farm Bill. Instead, Congress has threatened to reduce funding in 2009,” said Cooley.

The testimony notes the significant gap between top-down analysis and bottom-up implementation, calling for government support for additional outreach to convey information to and fund adaptation strategies for farmers.

The full testimony is available at: http://www.pacinst.org/publications/testimony/.

Based in Oakland, California, the Pacific Institute is a nonpartisan research institute that works to create a healthier planet and sustainable communities. Through interdisciplinary research and partnering with stakeholders, the Institute produces solutions that advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity—in California, nationally, and internationally. www.pacinst.org

June 20, 2009 · Filed Under Climate change & water supply

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