Integrating Crop Improvement with Resource Management to Alleviate the Effects of Desertification under Climate Change Scenarios

Gowda, C L L and Ashok Kumar, A and Janila, P (2013) Integrating Crop Improvement with Resource Management to Alleviate the Effects of Desertification under Climate Change Scenarios. Annals of Arid Zone . pp. 1-10. ISSN 0570-1791

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Abstract

Desertification is one of the major challenges human society facing today and it is exacerbated by climate change, and threatens sustenance of human life on the planet. Desertification refers to the process of fertile land transforming into desert, typically as a result of deforestation, drought or improper/inappropriate agriculture. Desertification is a serious problem for the drylands owing to climate change or anthropological reasons affecting the agricultural production and sustainability of ecologies (Geist, 2005). Drylands occupy approximately 40% of Earth’s land area and are home to more than 2 billion people. It has been estimated that nearly 10–20% of drylands are already degraded, the total area affected by desertification being between 6 and 12 million square kilometers, that about 1–6% of the inhabitants of drylands live in desertified areas, and that a billion people are under threat from further desertification (Johnson et al., 2006; World Bank, 2009). Therefore, it is important to understand the process of desertification, factors contributing to it and interventions needed to combat desertification for enhancing the agricultural productivity and sustaining the environment. Various public and private sector institutions, international and national centers, civil society organizations are working on formulating and implementing programs to combat desertification.

Item Type: Article
Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
CRP: UNSPECIFIED
Subjects: Others > Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics
Others > Climate Change
Depositing User: Mr Sanat Kumar Behera
Date Deposited: 27 Jan 2014 09:46
Last Modified: 27 Jan 2014 09:46
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/7404
Official URL:
Projects: UNSPECIFIED
Funders: UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement: UNSPECIFIED
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