Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has identified several urgent challenge areas requiring
instant actions in the current food and agricultural systems, including food security,
climate variability and change, water, bioenergy, childhood obesity, and food
safety.
2 Accordingly, it has funded a number of studies to advance the ability to
achieve global food security and fight hunger.
Food security aims to allowing people to have consistent access to quality food. It
depends on the individuals and organization working together to develop solutions
to related socioeconomic issues. About 70% of the poor in developing countries live
in rural areas and make their living in the agricultural sector (Sonntag et al. 2005).
Agriculture plays the major role in enhancing food security and reducing poverty in
developing countries.
Our planet is facing constant climate change. Although natural change is
unavoidable, rapid and dramatic shifts in the climate result in severe consequences,
such as increased frequency and severity of droughts and floods, extreme rain
patterns, increased temperature and more frequent heat waves, and sea-level rising.
These consequences can significantly damage agriculture, forest, and rangeland
ecosystems and reduce agricultural productivity.
Water is another challenge facing agriculture. As the biggest consumer of freshwater in most countries, agriculture relies on reliable freshwater supply for irrigation.
In United States, agriculture accounts for about 80% of the consumptive use of
freshwater. However, the availability and quality of freshwater resources for agriculture are becoming increasingly an issue mainly due to climate change and human
socioeconomic activities. Yet, water wasting and water-use inefficacy are very
common in agriculture. It is in urgent need to develop sound water and watershed
management systems using effective practices, such as modern conservation technologies, appropriate crop choices, and drought preparedness, to help farmers
enhance water use efficiency and conserve resources.
Agriculture has significant impacts on the environment since it is the major
artificial sources of nitrous oxide and methane to the soil. In addition, studies also
suggest that agriculture and related land-use transformation emit greenhouse gases
via chemical transformations (Hallberg 1987). All the chemicals used in agricultural
impact the environment from the soil, to water, the air, animal, people, plants, and
climate. One of the grand challenges, therefore, is how to sustain and enhance
agricultural productivity while minimizing the environmental footprint of
agriculture.
Climate change and agriculture are mutually influenced on a global scale.
Changes in temperature, precipitation, and freshwater availability induced by climate changes directly impact agricultural sustainability and productivity. Meanwhile, agriculture has significant influence on climate change, mainly through the
production and release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and
2 https://nifa.usda.gov/challenge-areas
144
L. Di and Z. Sun
instant actions in the current food and agricultural systems, including food security,
climate variability and change, water, bioenergy, childhood obesity, and food
safety.
2 Accordingly, it has funded a number of studies to advance the ability to
achieve global food security and fight hunger.
Food security aims to allowing people to have consistent access to quality food. It
depends on the individuals and organization working together to develop solutions
to related socioeconomic issues. About 70% of the poor in developing countries live
in rural areas and make their living in the agricultural sector (Sonntag et al. 2005).
Agriculture plays the major role in enhancing food security and reducing poverty in
developing countries.
Our planet is facing constant climate change. Although natural change is
unavoidable, rapid and dramatic shifts in the climate result in severe consequences,
such as increased frequency and severity of droughts and floods, extreme rain
patterns, increased temperature and more frequent heat waves, and sea-level rising.
These consequences can significantly damage agriculture, forest, and rangeland
ecosystems and reduce agricultural productivity.
Water is another challenge facing agriculture. As the biggest consumer of freshwater in most countries, agriculture relies on reliable freshwater supply for irrigation.
In United States, agriculture accounts for about 80% of the consumptive use of
freshwater. However, the availability and quality of freshwater resources for agriculture are becoming increasingly an issue mainly due to climate change and human
socioeconomic activities. Yet, water wasting and water-use inefficacy are very
common in agriculture. It is in urgent need to develop sound water and watershed
management systems using effective practices, such as modern conservation technologies, appropriate crop choices, and drought preparedness, to help farmers
enhance water use efficiency and conserve resources.
Agriculture has significant impacts on the environment since it is the major
artificial sources of nitrous oxide and methane to the soil. In addition, studies also
suggest that agriculture and related land-use transformation emit greenhouse gases
via chemical transformations (Hallberg 1987). All the chemicals used in agricultural
impact the environment from the soil, to water, the air, animal, people, plants, and
climate. One of the grand challenges, therefore, is how to sustain and enhance
agricultural productivity while minimizing the environmental footprint of
agriculture.
Climate change and agriculture are mutually influenced on a global scale.
Changes in temperature, precipitation, and freshwater availability induced by climate changes directly impact agricultural sustainability and productivity. Meanwhile, agriculture has significant influence on climate change, mainly through the
production and release of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and
2 https://nifa.usda.gov/challenge-areas
144
L. Di and Z. Sun