Dr Rachid Mrabet holds a PhD in Agronomy (Colorado State University, 1997) and MSc in Soil Physics (University of Minnesota/IAV Hassan II, 1989). Research Director (INRA Morocco). 33 years of research, expertise and advisory in agronomy, soil science, environment quality, conservation agriculture, climate change and carbon farming as well as biophysical modelling.
Dr Mrabet authored 21 books, 77 chapters and 90 peer-reviewed papers.
Dr Mrabet served as IPCC review editor for Special Report on 1.5°C and Coordinating Lead Author (CLA) for AR6 Group III Chapter 7 on AFOLU, CLA for MedECC First Assessment Report (MAR1) Chapters on Food systems and currently CLA for UNEP GEO-7.
Deputy President of WASWAC. Panelist at International Conservation Agriculture Advisory Panel for Africa. Consultant for several international organizations : FAO, GIZ, ICARDA, UNECA, CIHEAM, OADA, ACT and COP22.
Dr Mrabet received Distinguished Research Award from WASWAC, the King Hassan II National Prize, the 2020 North South Prize of the Council of Europe, and 2022 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity as CLA for MedECC and IPCC.
Coordinator/participated in more than 60 national and international projects. Associate Editor JSWC, STR, ISWCR, Afrimed AJ and reviewer and special Guest Editor for Several International Journals.
An overview of climate change impacts on agriculture and water and their mitigation strategies
Rachid Mrabet
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
Avenue de la Victoire P.O. Box 415 Rabat 10090 Morocco
rachid.mrabet@inra.ma
As we advance into the 21st century, climate disasters are sounding an ever-louder alarm. Scientific evidence for global warming are irrevocable and witnessed by record rates of increase in atmospheric and sea temperatures and is correlated to rapid rises in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 399.4 parts per million (ppm) to 419.1 ppm today. According to the 6th IPCC assessment report, with the continued rise in GHG emissions, the probability of irreversible climate change and subsequent ecological breakdown grows exponentially. In other claim, the urgency of radical actions cannot be overstated.
The impacts of climate change have been widely recognized around the world making farming risky and harder both in rainfed and irrigated systems. Climate change-induced abiotic stresses such as salinity, drought and temperature fluctuations are devastating the crops’ physiological responses, productivity and overall yield which is ultimately posing a serious threat to global food security and agroecosystems. Projected increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, changes in extreme weather events, and reductions in water availability may all result in reduced agricultural and livestock productivity. Globally, each 1°C rise in temperature, the yield of crops can significantly reduce by 5-10%. Climate change led to reduced yield potential, decreasing yields and the growing areas of crops as well as deterioration of livestock conditions and performances and lower reproduction and milk/meat productions.
In the face of escalating climate challenges, the water sector stands at a crucial crossroads. Climate change is exacerbating both water scarcity and water-related hazards (floods and droughts). With increase in global temperature, the precipitation patterns and the entire water cycle are disturbed. It is strongly agreed that the frequency and the severity of droughts have increased over the last decades in the Mediterranean, western North America, and south-western Australia and that this can be attributed to anthropogenic warming.
Water and climate change are inextricably linked, and dramatic changes in hydrological parameters have been reported such as evapotranspiration, runoff, ground water and soil moisture which intensify aridity and water scarcity. Hence, most ecosystems and societies are vulnerable due to the extreme climatic situation and water shortage.
An array of clean and green strategies for improving crop productivity and water availability and off-setting climate change impacts is available and under various adoption levels and pathways across the world. With many more promising developments are in the pipeline. In other terms, adapting and building resilience of food systems and water sector to the physical impacts of climate change remain highly context and location-specific. Consequently, a people-centric approach making sure no one is left behind is crucial to delivering the transition in a way that ensures equitable distribution of the (co)benefits and burdens of the transition.
Higher-income countries are better placed than developing nations to lessen the impacts of climate risks on water and food sectors and recover from them. Hence, the international co-operation ambition to deliver just transition pathways to food and water security should include durable finance (blended, grants, funds), de-risking, technology, and capacity-building for countries in the Global South. But also, developing countries should promote and develop their collective action based upon multifaceted and comprehensive strategy against climate change uncertainties and impacts while unveiling and eliminating the roadblocks to the transition, especially social and institutional factors.
Keywords: Climate change, water and food security, adaptation, mitigation, green economy, fair/just transition