Abstract
Climate is one of the main determinants of agricultural productivity in Sri Lanka. Of the major climatic parameters, temperature, rainfall, and humidity are of special significance, as these cause a substantial impact on the agricultural productivity of the country. Consequently, farming systems and agronomic practices in most agricultural regions of Sri Lanka have evolved in close harmony with the prevailing climatic conditions of respective climatic regions of the island. The overwhelming scientific research has provided evidence of two general trends in Sri Lankan climate, i.e., increasing ambient temperatures resulting in more heat stress, and more frequent and severe occurrence of extreme rainfall anomalies such as droughts and floods. Both of these conditions strongly affect the crop and animal production and thus the food security in the country. The National Climate Change Policy of Sri Lanka, which was adopted in 2012, clearly endorses the need of appropriate adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts on crop and animal production so as to ensure national-level food security. While some of the strategies and actions have already been implemented as an effort to address the emerging negative impacts of climate change, scope still exists for new entry points for adaptation with a view to reduce the climate vulnerability of the agricultural sector in Sri Lanka while increasing the resilience of the entire community. One example of these actions is the development of seasonal climate forecasts that could assist farmers, business across the value chain, and the policy makers to develop improved climate risk management strategies leading to ensuring food security. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the climate and climate-related risks faced by the agriculture sector of Sri Lanka and highlights the need to strengthen adaptation options to ensure national-level food security.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia to carry out this review through a grant agreement deed on “Improve climate forecasting to improve food security in Indian ocean rim countries” (AusAID agreement 59553) given to the Agriculture Education Unit (AEU) of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
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Marambe, B. et al. (2015). Climate, Climate Risk, and Food Security in Sri Lanka: The Need for Strengthening Adaptation Strategies. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38670-1_120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38670-1_120
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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