Climate-Smart Agriculture Methods are Crucial to Farming.

Climate-smart agriculture is not different from sustainable agriculture; it combines multiple sustainable practices to address a particular farming community's unique climate issues.

FREMONT, CA: Climate change is decreasing farmers' livelihoods. Unpredictable weather patterns, less growing seasons, droughts, high temperatures, and increasing vulnerability to pests and crop diseases provide formidable challenges for smallholder farmers worldwide—particularly in the tropics, where people depend more on natural resources. Yet, climate-smart agriculture policies can help farmers in transforming and preparing for adverse effects, thereby preserving—and even improving—their livelihoods.

These are the some of the areas in which climate-smart methods are implemented:

MANAGEMENT OF THE CROP

Management of crops can determine climate-smart policies adapted to a region, farming community, and even individual farms to determine climate impacts and risks assessment.

Pruning is critical in cocoa, for example. Still, must do it following local climate risks: When there is heavy rainfall, cropping should be done more often to maintain healthier, faster-recovering trees, whereas, during protracted dry seasons, a farmer should avoid cropping so heavily that first branches and trunks gather lavish sunlight. Reaping and fermenting (in the case of cocoa) also require several procedures depending on the climate; can construct dry beans in heavy rains or high moisture, essential sun dryers made of wood frames and plastic sheets can be constructed.

MANAGEMENT OF PEST AND DISEASE

Global warming can result in pests and illnesses that can impact lower reaping and even destroy entire farms. Climate-smart agricultural training equips farmers with the guidance needed to apply the accurate portion of pesticides at the significant time of year to tackle these freshly increasing pests. In addition, farmers in all temperature regions utilize manual weeding as much as possible, targeting poisonous weeds while allowing soft weeds to freshen the soil and stop nutrient-rich topsoil from eroding.

SOIL MANAGEMENT

Heavy rains, especially on sloping slopes, can wash away the topsoil. Planting ground cover aid to preserve the soil in heavy rains—and it's also highly beneficial in drought-prone places for it aids in moisture retention. In addition, farmers can construct drainage systems in flood-prone areas to prevent nutrient-rich topsoil from being carried away; trenches can also assist in regulating excess water, keeping soil in place, and planting on contours, such as hills or natural terraces, which also helps to prevent soil erosion. Mulching—incorporating organic matter from crop waste into the soil—can also be beneficial.

Climate-smart-agriculture's primary objective is to adopt all techniques that enhance soil quality and increase structure production.

Additionally, healthy soils act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide and reducing it from the atmosphere, helping fight against climate change.