Impacts of Reduced Water Availability on Lower Murray Irrigation, Australia

This article evaluates irrigated agriculture sector response and resultant economic impacts of climate change for a part of the Murray Darling Basin in Australia. A water balance model is used to predict reduced basin inflows for mild, moderate and severe climate change scenarios involving 10, 20, 40 Celcius warming, and predict 13%, 38% and 63% reduced inflows. Impact on irrigated agricultural production and profitability are estimated with a mathematical programming model using a two-stage approach that simultaneously estimates short and long-run adjustments. The model accounts for a range of adaptive responses including: deficit irrigation, temporarily fallowing some areas, and permanently reducing irrigated area and changing the mix of crops. The results suggest that relatively low cost adaptation strategies are available for moderate reduction in water availability and thus costs of such reduction are likely to be relatively small. In more severe climate change scenarios greater costs are estimated, adaptations predicted include a reduction in total area irrigated, investments in efficient irrigation, and a shift away from perennial to annual crops as the latter can be managed more profitably when water allocations in some years are very low.water availability, irrigation, Murray Darling Basin, climate change

A Water Poverty Analysis of the Niger Basin, West Africa

This report documents the findings of Work Package 1 for the Niger Basin Focal Project: A water poverty analysis. Research outputs presented here include maps of high poverty incidence and water related vulnerability. The statistical analysis revealed considerable spatial variation in water related poverty in addition to significant differences in the intra and inter-national factors associated with poverty. Poverty was measured as levels of child mortality, child morbidity and an asset wealth index to improve sensitivity in a primarily subsistence economy. Whilst the absolute quantity of water resources was important in some areas, the social and economic capacity to use and access this water was often more important

Climate-Smart Agriculture? A review of current practice of agroforestry and conservation agriculture in Malawi and Zambia

Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa must undergo significant productivity improvements to meet the combined challenges of population growth and climate change. A proposed means of achieving such improvements is increased use of a 'climate-smart agriculture' approach to agricultural development policy-making, which emphasizes the use of farming techniques that (1) increase yields, (2) reduce vulnerability to climate change, and (3) reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Two countries that are prioritizing such an approach within the framework of a Climate-Smart Agriculture project are Malawi and Zambia . These countries are promoting the use of agroforestry and conservation agriculture with the aim of improving the productivity of their smallholder agricultural systems under climate change . This review synthesizes evidence on the use, yie ld and socio - economic impacts of these farming techniques. Key findings are that agroforestry is a promising option for smallholder farmers with well - documented yield and profitability improvements. Evidence supporting the use of conservation agriculture i n the target countries is also positive but weaker . Adoption rates, although higher than those in other African countries, are lower than would be expected given the potential benefits , and resources spent on promotion . Key constraints and needs for furthe r research are documente

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme design in rural Tanzania: Famers’ preferences for enforcement and payment options

The forests of the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania, are internationally recognized as one of the world's most biodiverse ecosystems. However, despite past conservation efforts they face an ongoing threat from clearing for smallholder agriculture. One potential solution is a „payments for ecosystem services' (PES) program, where farmers are paid to protect forest that lies on their farms. To determine the design of PES program most likely to attract participation, careful documentation of farmer's policy preferences is required. We quantify these preferences and determine willingness to accept values using a choice experiment approach. Notable results are that payment for manure fertilizer (representing an investment in farm productivity) was highly effective at motivating farmer support, a group payment was highly ineffective, and that minimal program conditionality was not always preferred

Impacts of climate change on lower Murray irrigation

This article evaluates irrigated agriculture sector response and resultant economic impacts of climate change for a part of the Murray Darling Basin in Australia. A water balance model is used to predict reduced basin inflows for mild, moderate and severe climate change scenarios involving 1, 2 and 4 C warming, and predict 13, 38 and 63% reduced inflows. Impact on irrigated agricultural production and profitability are estimated with a mathematical programming model using a two-stage approach that simultaneously estimates short and long-run adjustments. The model accounts for a range of adaptive responses including: deficit irrigation, temporarily following of some areas, permanently reducing the irrigated area and changing the mix of crops. The results suggest that relatively low cost adaptation strategies are available for a moderate reduction in water availability and thus costs of such a reduction are likely to be relatively small. In more severe climate change scenarios greater costs are estimated. Adaptations predicted include a reduction in total area irrigated and investments in efficient irrigation. A shift away from perennial to annual crops is also predicted as the latter can be managed more profitably when water allocations in some years are very low

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) scheme design in rural Tanzania: Famers’ preferences for enforcement and payment options

Replaced with revised version of paper 09/27/11.choice experiments, payment for ecosystem services, conditionality, willingness to accept, Tanzania, biodiversity, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Development, Land Economics/Use,

Impacts of climate change on lower Murray irrigation *

This article evaluates irrigated agriculture sector response and resultant economic impacts of climate change for a part of the Murray Darling Basin in Australia. A water balance model is used to predict reduced basin inflows for mild, moderate and severe climate change scenarios involving 1, 2 and 4�C warming, and predict 13, 38 and 63% reduced inflows. Impact on irrigated agricultural production and profitability are estimated with a mathematical programming model using a two-stage approach that simultaneously estimates short and long-run adjustments. The model accounts for a range of adaptive responses including: deficit irrigation, temporarily following of some areas, permanently reducing the irrigated area and changing the mix of crops. The results suggest that relatively low cost adaptation strategies are available for a moderate reduction in water availability and thus costs of such a reduction are likely to be relatively small. In more severe climate change scenarios greater costs are estimated. Adaptations predicted include a reduction in total area irrigated and investments in efficient irrigation. A shift away from perennial to annual crops is also predicted as the latter can be managed more profitably when water allocations in some years are very low. Copyright 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation 2009 Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society Inc. and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Estimating Impacts of Climate Change on Lower Murray Irrigation, Australia

This article evaluates irrigated agriculture sector response and resultant economic impacts of climate change for a part of the Murray Darling Basin in Australia. A water balance model is used to predict reduced basin inflows for mild, moderate and severe climate change scenarios involving 10, 20, 40 Celcius warming, and predict 13%, 38% and 63% reduced inflows. Impact on irrigated agricultural production and profitability are estimated with a mathematical programming model using a two-stage approach that simultaneously estimates short and long-run adjustments. The model accounts for a range of adaptive responses including: deficit irrigation, temporarily fallowing some areas, and permanently reducing irrigated area and changing the mix of crops. The results suggest that relatively low cost adaptation strategies are available for moderate reduction in water availability and thus costs of such reduction are likely to be relatively small. In more severe climate change scenarios greater costs are estimated, adaptations predicted include a reduction in total area irrigated, investments in efficient irrigation, and a shift away from perennial to annual crops as the latter can be managed more profitably when water allocations in some years are very low

Estimating Impacts of Climate Change on Lower Murray Irrigation, Australia

This article evaluates irrigated agriculture sector response and resultant economic impacts of climate change for a part of the Murray Darling Basin in Australia. A water balance model is used to predict reduced basin inflows for mild, moderate and severe climate change scenarios involving 10, 20, 40 Celcius warming, and predict 13%, 38% and 63% reduced inflows. Impact on irrigated agricultural production and profitability are estimated with a mathematical programming model using a two-stage approach that simultaneously estimates short and long-run adjustments. The model accounts for a range of adaptive responses including: deficit irrigation, temporarily fallowing some areas, and permanently reducing irrigated area and changing the mix of crops. The results suggest that relatively low cost adaptation strategies are available for moderate reduction in water availability and thus costs of such reduction are likely to be relatively small. In more severe climate change scenarios greater costs are estimated, adaptations predicted include a reduction in total area irrigated, investments in efficient irrigation, and a shift away from perennial to annual crops as the latter can be managed more profitably when water allocations in some years are very low.Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,