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About the Book The phenomenon of climate change poses a serious threat to agricultural production and, therefore, to the lives and livelihoods of the hundreds of millions who are dependent on agriculture. Adaptation to the increased variability in weather patterns requires the adoption of ecological farming practices which are climate-resilient as well as productive. This paper looks at how ecological agriculture, by building healthy soils, cultivating biological diversity and improving water harvesting and management, can strengthen farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change. Accordingly, the authors call for a reorientation of policy, funding and research priorities from the dominant industrial agriculture model to ecological agriculture. At the same time, recourse to carbon markets to finance adaptation efforts through trade in soil carbon credits is rejected as an unsustainable, wrong-headed approach to meeting the climate challenge. Instead, facing the vagaries of climate change demands a concerted effort by governments, multilateral agencies, researchers and farmers to support the transition to ecological agriculture. Towards this end, this paper outlines a roadmap of measures for promoting truly climate-resilient farming systems. About the Authors DOREEN STABINSKY is Professor of Global Environmental Politics at College of the Atlantic in Maine, USA and she also closely follows the United Nations climate negotiations. LIM LI CHING is a researcher with the Third World Network and coordinates its sustainable agriculture work. Contents 1. INTRODUCTION
2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURE Climate impacts on agriculture: the role of temperature and rainfall Coventional agriculture is a major contributor to climate change 3. ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE IS ESSENTIAL TO MEET THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE Building healthy soils Building resilience through diversity Emphasizing water management and harvesting techniques Increasing productivity in the face of climate change 4. FALSE SOLUTIONS: THE CARBON MARKET THREAT Carbon market basics Creating agricultural soil carbon offset credits 5. A ROADMAP TOWARDS CLIMATE RESILIENCE THROUGH ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE 6. CONCLUSION References
PRICE POSTAGE Third World countries US$4.00 US$2.00 (air); US$1.00 (sea) Other foreign countries US$6.00 US$2.00 (air); US$1.00 (sea) Malaysia RM7.00 RM1.00 (For orders of more than 3 copies, please write in for reduced postal rate) How to Order the Book Visit our TWN Online Bookshop at: www.twnshop.com or contact Third World Network at 131 Jalan Macalister, 10400 Penang, Malaysia. Website: www.twnside.org.sg Tel: 604-2266159 Fax: 604-2264505 Email: twnet@po.jaring.my for further information.
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