ctives of the study are: (i) to review current knowledge on vulnerability, past trends in climate, and impacts of climate variability and change on agriculture sector, and (ii) to explore technical and policy alternatives in order to cope with and adapt to impacts of climate variability and change more effectively. The study identified what the potential impacts are, considered what interventions are appropriate, and if and where they should occur. The scope of the study focused on broader policy directions and investment priorities in relation to climate change adaptation. The first two chapters of this book present overall background on the agriculture sector and vulnerability context. Chapter 2 specifically presents vulnerability of agro-ecosystems and food production systems in both temporal and special dimensions. Chapter 3 elaborates on the nature of climate variability and expected future changes in climate. The past trends in climate were described based on observation, analysi

The last decade has seen a growing body of research about globalization and climate change in the Caribbean. This collection is a significant addition to the literature on a topic that is of critical importance to the region. It explores research from a number of Caribbean islands dealing with a range of issues related to agriculture and food in the context of globalization and climate change. Using a broad livelihoods perspective, the impacts on rural livelihoods are explored as well as issues related to community level resilience, adaptability and adaptations. The volume is strengthened by gendered analyses of issues and discussions informed by a diverse range of research methods and methodologies. Scholars of Caribbean studies and studies pertaining to social, cultural, economic and environmental issues facing Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will greatly benefit from this book.

To support the implementation of CTA’s flagship project for the Caribbean, this report is aimed at developing capacity-building efforts for specific groups of farmers engaging in specific production activities in priority value chains so they may improve their access to key markets. This report focuses on the threats climate change poses to the production of two priority value chains in the Caribbean – fruit and vegetables, and roots and tubers.

Global climatic change has resulted in new and unpredictable patterns of precipitation and temperature, the increased frequency of extreme weather events and rising sea levels. These changes impact all four aspects of food security – availability, accessibility, stability of supply and appropriate nourishment – as well as the entire food system – food production, marketing, processing, distribution and prices. Climate Change and Food Security focuses on the challenge to food security posed by a changing climate. The book brings together many of the critical global concerns of climate change and food security through local cases based on empirical studies undertaken in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean. Focusing on risk reduction and the complex nature of vulnerability to climate change, the book includes chapters on the responsiveness of farmers based on traditional knowledge, as well as the critical phenomenon of food insecurity in the urban setting. Other chapters are devoted to efforts made to strengthen resilience through long-term development, with interventions at the regional and national levels of scale. It also examines cross-cutting themes that underlie the strategies employed to achieve food security, including equity, gender, livelihoods and governance. This edited volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, food security, environmental management and sustainable development.

At the beginning of the 21st century, Jamaica stands in a precarious situation which could have serious implications for the island's future. This stress may not have derived from a decrease in precipitation due to climate change, as well as a lack of interest in farming from smallholder farmers, which has become increasingly unsustainable. Younger Jamaicans have rejected farming as a career and instead opted for quick cash or migration out of the country in the hope of making their wealth elsewhere in the world. Thus, crop yields are at risk due to a smaller agricultural workforce. With decreasing labor rates and the current international economic crisis, the need for a high agricultural efficiency is greater than ever. Annual yields are also affected climatologically by a mid-summer atmospheric phenomenon called the Mid-Summer Dry Spell (MSD), resulting in bimodal rainy seasons in April-June and August-November. Understanding how rainfall affects crop production is a primary goal of this research. To accomplish this, a three part analysis will be conducted utilizing correlations between rainfall and crop yield, mapping with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and analysis of how the MSD impacts brightness, greenness and wetness of vegetation.

This report examines the economic and policy issues related to the impacts of climate change on agriculture and adaptation responses and to the mitigation of greenhouse gases from agriculture.