num_pages: 288
description: Climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the productivity and profitability of agriculture in North America. More variable weather drought and flooding create the most obvious damage but hot summer nights warmer winters longer growing seasons and other environmental changes have more subtle but far-reaching effects on plant and livestock growth and development. Resilient Agriculture recognizes the critical role that sustainable agriculture will play in the coming decades and beyond. The latest science on climate risk resilience and climate change adaptation is blended with the personal experience of farmers and ranchers to explore: The climate change challenge is real and it is here now. To enjoy the sustained production of food fiber and fuel well into the twenty-first century we must begin now to make changes that will enhance the adaptive capacity and resilience of North American agriculture. The rich knowledge base presented in Resilient Agriculture is poised to serve as the cornerstone of an evolving climate-ready food system. Laura Lengnick is a researcher policymaker activist educator and farmer whose work explores the community-enhancing potential of agriculture and food systems. She directs the academic program in sustainable agriculture at Warren Wilson College and was a lead author of the report Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation .
language: English
title: Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate
publisher: New Society Publishers