Adaptation resources for agriculture: Responding to climate variability and change in the Midwest and Northeast
This technical bulletin contains information and resources designed to help agricultural producers, service providers, and educators in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States integrate climate change considerations and action-oriented decisions into existing farm and conservation plans. An Adaptation Workbook provides producers a flexible, structured process to identify and assess climate change impacts, challenges, opportunities, and farm-level adaptation tactics and continuously evaluate adaptation actions for improving responses to extreme and uncertain conditions. A synthesis of Adaptation Strategies and Approaches serves as a “menu” of potential responses organized to provide a clear rationale for making decisions by connecting planned actions to broad adaptation concepts.
Responses address both short- and long-range timeframes and extend from incremental adjustments of existing practices to major alterations that transform the entire farm operation. Example adaptation tactics—prescriptive actions for agricultural production systems common in the region—for each approach guide producers, service providers, and educators to develop appropriate responses for their farms and location. Four Adaptation Examples demonstrate how these adaptation process resources are used.
This document includes the following eight strategies:
- Strategy 1: Sustain fundamental functions of soil and water (p. 21)
- Strategy 2: Reduce existing stressors of crops and livestock (p. 22)
- Strategy 3: Reduce risks from warmer and drier conditions (p. 24)
- Strategy 4: Reduce the risk and long-term impacts of extreme weather (p. 25)
- Strategy 5: Manage farms and fields as part of a larger landscape (p. 26)
- Strategy 6: Alter management to accommodate expected future conditions (p. 27)
- Strategy 7: Alter agricultural systems or lands to new climate conditions (p. 29)
- Strategy 8: Alter infrastructure to match new and expected conditions (p. 30)
In addition, five steps are included:
- Step 1: DEFINE management goals and objectives (p. 34)
- Step 2: ASSESS site-specific climate change impacts and vulnerabilities (p. 36)
- Step 3: EVALUATE management objectives given projected impacts and vulnerabilities (p. 37)
- Step 4: IDENTIFY adaptation approaches and tactics for implementation (p. 39)
- Step 5: MONITOR and evaluate effectiveness of implemented actions (p. 41)
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