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Adapting dryland agriculture to climate change: Farming implications and research and development needs in Western Australia

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  • Senthold Asseng
  • David Pannell

Abstract

The Western Australian wheat-belt has experienced more rainfall decline than any other wheat-cropping region in Australia. Future climate change scenarios suggest that the Western Australian wheat-belt is likely to see greater future reductions in rainfall than other regions, together with a further increase in temperatures. While these changes appear adverse for water-limited rain-fed agriculture, a close analysis of the changes and their impacts reveals a more complex story. Twentieth century changes in rainfall, temperature and atmospheric CO 2 concentration have had little or no overall impact on wheat yields. Changes in agricultural technology and farming systems have had much larger impacts. Contrary to some claims, there is no scientific or economic justification for any immediate actions by farmers to adapt to long-term climate change in the Western Australian wheat-belt, beyond normal responses to short-term variations in weather. Rather than promoting current change, the most important policy response is research and development to enable farmers to facilitate future adaptation to climate change. Research priorities are proposed. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013

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  • Senthold Asseng & David Pannell, 2013. "Adapting dryland agriculture to climate change: Farming implications and research and development needs in Western Australia," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 167-181, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:118:y:2013:i:2:p:167-181
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-012-0623-1
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    3. Andrew L. Fletcher & Chao Chen & Noboru Ota & Roger A. Lawes & Yvette M. Oliver, 2020. "Has historic climate change affected the spatial distribution of water-limited wheat yield across Western Australia?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 347-364, April.
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    7. Tristan D. Pearce & Evelyn H. Rodríguez & David Fawcett & James D. Ford, 2018. "How Is Australia Adapting to Climate Change Based on a Systematic Review?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-14, September.
    8. Ibrahim M. A. Soliman, 2019. "Forecasting Model of Wheat Yield in Relation to Rainfall Variability in North Africa Countries," International Journal of Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Business Models (IJFBMBM), IGI Global, vol. 4(2), pages 1-17, July.
    9. Chen, Chao & Fletcher, Andrew & Ota, Noboru & Oliver, Yvette & Lawes, Roger, 2023. "Integrating long fallow into wheat-based cropping systems in Western Australia: Spatial pattern of yield and economic responses," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    10. Anwar, Muhuddin Rajin & Liu, De Li & Farquharson, Robert & Macadam, Ian & Abadi, Amir & Finlayson, John & Wang, Bin & Ramilan, Thiagarajah, 2015. "Climate change impacts on phenology and yields of five broadacre crops at four climatologically distinct locations in Australia," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 133-144.
    11. Ross Kingwell, 2021. "Making Agriculture Carbon Neutral Amid a Changing Climate: The Case of South-Western Australia," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, November.
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