Agricultural Development Under a Changing Climate: Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation

Climate change presents a profound challenge to food security and development. Negative impacts from climate change are likely to be greatest in regions that are currently food insecure and may even be significant in those regions that have made large gains in reducing food insecurity over the past half-century. In response to this challenge, the World Bank, along with other donor and development agencies, is developing strategies for addressing climate change adaptation and is providing assistance to countries so that they can begin to implement appropriate risk- reduction measures. Adaptation in the agricultural sector is being given a high priority within this effort because of the inherent sensitivity of food production to climate and the strong inter-linkages that exist between climate, agriculture, and economic growth and development. The purpose of this report is to identify and summarize potential climate change impacts on agriculture in regions served by the World Bank, examine the causes of vulnerability, provide information on where investments are needed to better climate-proof agriculture, and describe the relevance of current efforts to achieve more sustainable agriculture to that of managing climate risks for adaptation. The report’s target audience is World Bank staff, client governments of the World Bank, and the donor and development communities, more generally. This report is intended to provide an in-depth analysis of climate change and the agricultural sector. It is hoped that the information contained in this report will stimulate a closer examination of how to bring better awareness of climate risks to the Bank’s investments in agriculture and rural development.