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Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 28220

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lalit Kumar

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Guest Editor

East Coast Geospatial Consultants, Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
Interests: environmental modelling; spatial ecology; climate change impacts; remote sensing; GIS; spatial modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change, population growth and unsustainable resource utilisation pose a serious risk to global food security. Food security and environmental sustainability are less likely to become a reality if the ‘business as usual’ pathway is followed. Global agricultural production is forecasted to decline under climate change, except in temperate regions. Climate change-induced sea level rise, seawater intrusion, increasing ocean acidity and surface temperature, higher levels of storm surges and flood levels can damage infrastructure, displace populations and degrade croplands in coastal zones. Coastal agriculture is more vulnerable to climate change impacts compared to inland agriculture, since it is exposed to threats from both the sea and land. Coastal farming needs to deal with frequent changes in soil salinity, seawater intrusion and inundation, storm surges and impacts from tropical cyclones. Current coastal management practices are unsustainable, influenced by climate and nonclimate factors, and addressing the sustainability of coastal agriculture is critical for future food security.

The United Nations second component of the sustainable development goals puts emphasis on sustainable agriculture towards zero hunger. By 2030, the agricultural productivity target has been set to be doubled compared to 2015, while maintaining ecosystems and strengthening the adaptive capacity of the farmers. This target will remain unachievable if sustainability of coastal agriculture is not specifically addressed. Sustainability in agriculture has been extensively researched, while coastal agriculture has not received the emphasis it deserves. Although we have immense literature on specific issues of coastal agriculture, such as salinity, seawater intrusion, drought and tropical cyclones, the overall sustainability issue of coastal agriculture is still lacking.

In this Special Issue, we invite original and innovative contributions to address any aspect of sustainability of coastal agriculture in the context of climate change. These can be local issues or cover broader regions. Both modelling and field-based research papers are welcome. Papers on adaptation techniques (both successful and unsuccessful) and gender issues are especially welcome. There is scope for a limited number of review papers, so if you are planning to submit a review paper, then please consult us first so that we can avoid duplication.

Prof. Lalit Kumar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Sustainability
Coastal agriculture
Climate change
Sea-level rise
Salinity
Seawater intrusion
Adaptation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 5102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Mapping of Soil Salinity and its Impact on Paddy Lands in Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka

by Tharani Gopalakrishnan and Lalit Kumar

Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8317; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208317 - 09 Oct 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4278

Abstract

Soil salinity is a major threat to land productivity, water resources and agriculture in coastal areas and arid and semi-arid regions of the world. This has a significantly negative effect on the land and causes desertification. Monitoring salt accumulation in the soil is crucial for the prevention of land degradation in such environments. This study attempted to estimate and map soil salinity in Jaffna Peninsula, a semi-arid region of Sri Lanka. A Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) model was constructed using Sentinel 2A satellite imagery and field-measured soil electrical conductivity (EC) values. The results showed that satisfactory prediction of the soil salinity could be made based on the PLSR model coupled with Sentinel 2A satellite imagery (R² = 0.69, RMSE = 0.4830). Overall, 32.8% of the land and 45% of paddy lands in Jaffna Peninsula are affected by salt. The findings of this study indicate that PLSR is suitable for the soil salinity mapping, especially in semi-arid regions like Jaffna Peninsula. The results underpin the importance of building adaptive capacity and implementing suitable preventive strategies for sustainable land and agricultural management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change)

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18 pages, 2575 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Consequences of Climate Change Impacts and Incidences of Extreme Weather Events in Relation to Crop Production in Bhutan

by Ngawang Chhogyel, Lalit Kumar and Yadunath Bajgai

Sustainability 2020, 12(10), 4319; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104319 - 25 May 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7059

Abstract

Being a country in the Himalayas, Bhutan is highly prone to the vagaries of weather events that affect agricultural production and the subsequent livelihood of the people. To identify the main issues that affect crop production and the decisions of farmers, a survey was conducted in three different agro-ecosystems in Bhutan. Our key findings indicate that farming and the decisions of farmers were largely affected by different climatic and non-climatic factors. These were in descending order of importance: irrigation availability > farm labour > crop seasonality > crop damage (climatic) > land holding > crop damage (wildlife) > crop damage (diseases and pests). The most important consequences of climate change impacts were the drying of irrigation sources (4.35) and crop losses due to weather events (4.10), whereas land fallowing, the occurrence of flood and soil erosion, weed pressure and changes in cropping pattern (with mean ratings of 2.53–3.03) experienced lesser consequences. The extreme weather events, such as untimely rains, drought and windstorms, were rated as the ‘most common’ to ‘common’ occurrences, thus inflicting a crop loss of 1–19%. These confirm our hearsay knowledge that extreme weather events have major consequences on irrigation water, which is said to be either drying or getting smaller in comparison to the past. Therefore, Bhutan must step up its on-ground farmer-support system towards improving the country’s food production, whilst embracing climate smart farm technologies for adapting to the impacts of change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change)

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14 pages, 2454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Spatial and Temporal Trend of Groundwater Salinity in Jaffna Peninsula and Its Link to Paddy Land Abandonment

by Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Lalit Kumar and Thushyanthy Mikunthan

Sustainability 2020, 12(9), 3681; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093681 - 02 May 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3572

Abstract

Salinization is an explicit global threat faced by coastal low lands. The increased seawater ingression into groundwater due to various climatic and anthropogenic factors affects functioning of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainability of coastal agriculture. This study was undertaken to investigate the changes in groundwater salinity in Jaffna Peninsula over a 20-year period and its relationship with paddy land abandonment. Permanently abandoned paddy areas were mapped using historical Landsat images, while groundwater salinity changes in 63 agricultural wells for the period 1999 to 2019 were analysed. The trend in salinity, including proximity to the coast, was examined. The results showed that approximately 8178 ha (43% of total paddy land) of paddy lands had been permanently abandoned while the groundwater salinity had increased by 1.6-fold over the last two decades. An increasing salinity trend with decreasing distance from the coast was observed. Presently, nearly 59% of the wells showed salinity levels that were unsuitable for crop irrigation. The results underline the need for urgent and effective management of groundwater resources in order to maintain the sustainability of the existing paddy lands and ensure availability of potable water for consumption along the coastal low land areas of Jaffna Peninsula. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change)

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Other

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24 pages, 2279 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceDiscussion

Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change

by Tharani Gopalakrishnan, Md Kamrul Hasan, A. T. M. Sanaul Haque, Sadeeka Layomi Jayasinghe and Lalit Kumar

Sustainability 2019, 11(24), 7200; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11247200 - 16 Dec 2019

Cited by 78 | Viewed by 12373

Abstract

Climatic and non-climatic stressors, such as temperature increases, rainfall fluctuations, population growth and migration, pollution, land-use changes and inadequate gender-specific strategies, are major challenges to coastal agricultural sustainability. In this paper, we discuss all pertinent issues related to the sustainability of coastal agriculture under climate change. It is evident that some climate-change-related impacts (e.g., temperature and rainfall) on agriculture are similarly applicable to both coastal and non-coastal settings, but there are other factors (e.g., inundation, seawater intrusion, soil salinity and tropical cyclones) that particularly impact coastal agricultural sustainability. Coastal agriculture is characterised by low-lying and saline-prone soils where spatial competition with urban growth is an ever-increasing problem. We highlight how coastal agricultural viability could be sustained through blending farmer perceptions, adaptation options, gender-specific participation and integrated coastal resource management into policy ratification. This paper provides important aspects of the coastal agricultural sustainability, and it can be an inspiration for further research and coastal agrarian planning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability of Coastal Agriculture under Climate Change)

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