Agriculture Research and Development: Questions for a better future!

We begin a food for thought series of 100 questions as published in a paper on "The top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture". You will find all questions to be relevant to food production and food security.

The questions are intended for all .. from the Planter to Extension Officers / Researchers, Directors of Public and Private Institutions, Policy Makers and Households.

Each post will cover a particular area, with its own set of questions. We invite our readers to interact on this blog and leave their valuable comments. At the end of the 100 questions, we will try to compile the comments and publish them on this blog as an article.

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SERIES 1

Natural resource inputs: Climate, watersheds, water resources and aquatic ecosystems

1. What are the predicted critical impacts of climate change (e.g. changes in temperature, wind speed,humidity and water availability, storm intensity, crop water requirements, snowmelt and seasonal runoff, pests, waterlogging, agroecosystem shifts, human migration) on agricultural yields, cropping practices, crop disease spread, disease resistance and irrigation development?

2. What would be the global cost of capping agricultural water withdrawals if environmental reserves were to be maintained?

3. What is the effect of increased rainwater harvesting on local hydrological fluxes, and how do local changes combine and alter water resource availability at larger geographic scales?

4. How can aquaculture and open water farming be developed so that impacts on wild fish stocks and coastal and aquatic habitats are minimized?

5. What approaches (operational, agronomic, genetic, supplemental irrigation schemes, fertility management, winter rainfall storage) can be developed to increase water use efficiency in agriculture and what is the cost-effectiveness of these approaches?

6. What combinations of forestry, agroforestry, grass cover, water-collecting systems and storage facilities, drought-resistant crops and water-saving technology are needed in arid and semi-arid areas to increase food production, and to what extent can they become cost-effective?

7. How can the allocation of water be optimized between irrigated agriculture and environmental functions, and what innovative policies and technologies can minimize trade-offs between irrigation and healthy functions of natural ecosystems?