Exploring Changes in the Agricultural Calendar as a Response …
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the occurrence of different phenological stages of a crop in its growth cycle defines
the so-called crop calendar [16]. Crop calendars include information on the timing
of periods of crop sowing, growing, and harvesting. Different information sources
on crop calendars (i.e. [17–19]) were employed. These calendars normally list the
timing of land-level planting and harvesting of the major crop types.
The great influence of decision-making and innovations on crop production
presents a major challenge in the historical past to detect, attribute and understand
the impacts of climate change on crop patterns. For example, the potential contribution of climate change over the past decades to increase the crop area has long
been observed and proposed by several research exploring agro-climatic indices
(e.g., growing-season graduation days with a certain base temperature), but very few
studies have confirmed this hypothesis. A huge number of studies take into consideration the techniques established by farmers to deal with climate variability [13,
14] have reported changes in sowing dates. However, there is no literature on how
exactly the agricultural calendar is presently moving. While it is recognized that
seasons and even agro-ecological zones are changing because of climate change,
there is no research focusing on how farmers are adapting their whole agricultural
calendar in the face of climate change. Thus, this chapter aims at exploring observed
changes in the agricultural calendar as a response to climate variability in Egypt. It
also attempts to highlight the factors affecting the farmers’ decision to adjust their
agricultural calendar as a coping mechanism against climate variability.
2 Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture
Agriculture is a part of the problem and a part of the solution to climate change as
well. On the one hand, climate change has created challenges for the agricultural
sector—and will continue to do so.
Climate change induced temperature increases, variations in rainfall, and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events add to pressures on global agricultural
and food systems. In most regions, climate change is expected to have a negative
impact on both crop and livestock production systems, although some countries may
actually benefit from changing conditions. The changing climate also adds to resource
issues such as water scarcity, pollution, and degradation of soil. Also, the effects of
agriculture on the environment may change as the climate changes. In the future,
climatic extremes such as droughts, heat waves, and excess moisture are expected to
increase in frequency.
On the other hand, agriculture not only contributes to climate change and is
affected by it; it also forms part of the solution. Climate change can be mitigated by
sustainable agriculture. However, sustainability is a concept that is relatively easy to
understand but difficult to define in practice. We need to start transforming the way
we adapt to such changes in order to manage intensifying climate impacts. Measures
for adaptation could include the choice and change of species and varieties, the
adaptation of the field works to the calendar (more flexibility), the adaptation of
251
the occurrence of different phenological stages of a crop in its growth cycle defines
the so-called crop calendar [16]. Crop calendars include information on the timing
of periods of crop sowing, growing, and harvesting. Different information sources
on crop calendars (i.e. [17–19]) were employed. These calendars normally list the
timing of land-level planting and harvesting of the major crop types.
The great influence of decision-making and innovations on crop production
presents a major challenge in the historical past to detect, attribute and understand
the impacts of climate change on crop patterns. For example, the potential contribution of climate change over the past decades to increase the crop area has long
been observed and proposed by several research exploring agro-climatic indices
(e.g., growing-season graduation days with a certain base temperature), but very few
studies have confirmed this hypothesis. A huge number of studies take into consideration the techniques established by farmers to deal with climate variability [13,
14] have reported changes in sowing dates. However, there is no literature on how
exactly the agricultural calendar is presently moving. While it is recognized that
seasons and even agro-ecological zones are changing because of climate change,
there is no research focusing on how farmers are adapting their whole agricultural
calendar in the face of climate change. Thus, this chapter aims at exploring observed
changes in the agricultural calendar as a response to climate variability in Egypt. It
also attempts to highlight the factors affecting the farmers’ decision to adjust their
agricultural calendar as a coping mechanism against climate variability.
2 Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture
Agriculture is a part of the problem and a part of the solution to climate change as
well. On the one hand, climate change has created challenges for the agricultural
sector—and will continue to do so.
Climate change induced temperature increases, variations in rainfall, and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events add to pressures on global agricultural
and food systems. In most regions, climate change is expected to have a negative
impact on both crop and livestock production systems, although some countries may
actually benefit from changing conditions. The changing climate also adds to resource
issues such as water scarcity, pollution, and degradation of soil. Also, the effects of
agriculture on the environment may change as the climate changes. In the future,
climatic extremes such as droughts, heat waves, and excess moisture are expected to
increase in frequency.
On the other hand, agriculture not only contributes to climate change and is
affected by it; it also forms part of the solution. Climate change can be mitigated by
sustainable agriculture. However, sustainability is a concept that is relatively easy to
understand but difficult to define in practice. We need to start transforming the way
we adapt to such changes in order to manage intensifying climate impacts. Measures
for adaptation could include the choice and change of species and varieties, the
adaptation of the field works to the calendar (more flexibility), the adaptation of