Climate Exchange

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griculture

Managing pests and diseases

Changes in incidence, distribution and intensity of pests and

diseases due to climate change are likely to cause additional crises

in local agricultural production. Climate change is likely to affect

vector-borne diseases and may also result in new transmission path-

ways and different host species.

Changing climate may affect the patterns of disease and pests

through altered host distribution and phenology, alter the plant-

associated microflora and trigger new plant diseases and pest

outbreaks. Early detection of diseases and pest outbreaks based

on weather and climate forecasts can assist proactive control meas-

ures and thus avoid higher management costs. By monitoring pest

thresholds, climate information systems can assist in the devel-

opment of integrated pest management technologies needed to

counter new pests.

Operational monitoring of pests and diseases, and weather-based

early warning systems, have long been recognized as an essential part

of integrated pest and disease management. Pest and disease fore-

cast models, coupled with weather forecasts generated from climate

simulations, can be a basis for pest and disease early warning systems.

Enhancing resilience of coastal communities

Coastal zones constitute extensive areas of the most

vulnerable ecosystems, and are strongly exposed to

natural hazards such as hurricanes, storms, floods,

erosion and salt-water intrusion. Fisheries-dependent

communities are particularly vulnerable to rising sea

levels, changes in ocean salinity, hurricanes, and a

decrease in fish stocks and availability due to increas-

ing water temperature.

Most of the large global marine fisheries are affected

by climate variability associated with the El Niño

Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Assessment of vulner-

ability and risks, and development of community level

risk reduction plans incorporating climate informa-

tion, could effectively reduce vulnerability and risk.

Customized climate information services for fishers

need to serve better information about the impending

weather and climate risks to support decision-making

on fishing time, area, saving livelihood assets, and

matching the actions outlined in the community level

Women’s group in Mid-hills of Nepal participating in a farmer field school on climate risks

Image: FAO