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GEC and the Food System of the Indo-Gangetic Plain: An Example GECAFS ResearchProjectOne of the initial regional GECAFS research projects concerns the food system of the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP). This is largely dependent on rice and wheat grown in rotation and thereis growing concern that the productivity of the system is declining, especially the ricecomponent: an assessment of 11 long-term rice-wheat experiments (ranging from 7 to 25years in duration) from the region indicates a marked yield decline of up to 500 kg/ha/yr inrice in nine of the experiments (Duxbury et al., 2000). Continuation of these trends will haveserious implications for food provision, local livelihoods and the regional economy. As agiven season’s weather is a major determinant of yield (due to both the direct effects on cropgrowth and indirect effects related to management), there is concern that changes in climate,especially related to changes in climate variability, will exacerbate the observed trend.Moreover, other analyses (e.g. Grace et al., 2001) show that the highly-intensive productionapproach currently practiced in large parts of the region is a major source of greenhousegases, while the current irrigation practice is having serious negative effects on local watertables and water quality.As the IGP food system is both threatened by global change and contributes to further globalchange “forcing”, research is needed to help develop policy and agronomic strategies to (i)sustain production, especially in the face of potential increased climate variability anddegradation of land and water resources; and (ii) promote production systems which enhanceenvironmental and socioeconomic conditions. Due however to the marked socioeconomicand biophysical differences across the region, a single approach is not appropriate. Aconsultation process with local and regional policy makers determined information needs inrelation to GEC for regional policy formulation, and gave rise to a number of possibleresearch issues.The eastern region of the IGP is a food deficit region characterised by low productivity, lowinputs of fertilizer and water, risk of flooding, poor infrastructure and an out-migration oflabour. Interdisciplinary research will be developed to address questions such as:Theme 1: How will climate variability affect vulnerability to flooding within the region?Theme 2: What are the market opportunities and management options for diversifying crops(e.g. aquaculture) to make more effective use of flood and groundwater?Theme 3: How will these strategies effect labour migration, the interregional movement offood grains and water quality and river flow?In contrast, the western region is a food surplus region characterised by higher investment,high productivity, major use of fertilisers and ground-water for irrigation, and an in-migrationof labour. Interdisciplinary research will be developed to address questions such as:22
Theme 1: How will climate variability affect change in water demand in high productionregions of the IGP?Theme 2: How can changes in water management (e.g. through policy instruments such aswater pricing, and/or agronomic aspects such as alternative cropping, soillevelling) reduce vulnerability to climate variability?Theme 3: What will be the consequences of changed water management on the local andregional socioeconomic situation; and on green-house gas emissions, water tablesand land degradation?A more detailed research planning exercise for the IGP is now being initiated with nationalpolicy makers and research groups; with international collaborators including the CGIAR,FAO and WMO; and with scientists IGBP, IHDP and WCRP. GECAFS will add value to theindividual efforts of all its research partners by building on their complementary skills andcontributions; it will not “replace” their existing efforts, but draw upon them, and set them ina broader canvas of societal concern.SummaryGlobal environmental change is happening. Human activities, including those related to food,are now recognised to be partly responsible for changing the world’s climate and giving riseto other, globally- and locally-important environmental changes. These include alterations insupplies of freshwater, in the cycling of nitrogen, in biodiversity and in soils.There is growing concern that the ability to provide food – particularly to more vulnerablesections of society – will be further complicated by global environmental change (GEC).There is also concern that meeting the rising societal demand for food will lead to furtherenvironmental degradation, which will, in many cases, will result in further uncertainties forfood provision systems.Policies need to be formulated that enable societies to adapt to the added complication GECwill bring to food provision, while promoting socio-economic development and limitingfurther environmental degradation. Such policy formulation needs to be built upon animproved understanding of the links between GEC and food provision. The interdisciplinaryproject “Global Environmental Change and Food Systems” (GECAFS) is designed to meetthis need.23
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Page 30 and 31: Theme 2 aims to understand how comm
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Page 56 and 57: Figure 3 Outcomes for 10 variables
Page 58 and 59: Figure 4 Nine ‘planetary boundari
Page 60 and 61: Figure 5 Environmental change, food
Page 62 and 63: Table 1: Indicative analysis of the
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Page 78 and 79: Box 2 Engaging with stakeholders in
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Third, and of considerable practica
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Figure 2: Organizing and understand
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organizations made up of numerous n
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Elements of good practice in stakeh
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Finally, it is worth noting that fo
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development (Lee, 1999; Gunderson a
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Box 7 The GECAFS stakeholder survey
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‘break down’ what might be a hi
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Paper 6: Undertaking Research at th
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agriculture in many parts of the wo
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gaps. The presence of a strong tech
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an average of two years to coalesce
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Institute for Meteorology and Hydro
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Identifying case study sitesResearc
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can both benefit from and contribut
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Box 5 Mapping stakeholder interests
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Holding planning meetings in locati
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This reorientation of the debate fr
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Importance of this type of research
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Integrating the food system concept
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awareness of the GEC issues within
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pollutants were then introduced as
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communities operating in food syste
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Improving input-use efficiency acro
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governance focuses on the range of
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Developing research agendas in supp
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The renewed approach to interdiscip
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BIELAK, A., HOLMES, J., SAVGÅRD, J
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EAKIN, H. 2010. What is Vulnerable?
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GODFRAY, H. C. J., BEDDINGTON, J. R
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INGRAM, J. S. I. & FERNANDES, E. C.
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LYUTSE, S. 2010. The One Billion To
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RAYNER, S. & MALONE, E. L. 1998. Hu
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UNDP 2006. The 2006 Human Developme
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activities “from plough to plate
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contribution to the science agenda:
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urgently needed, and - given the gr
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GECAFS plannenmakerij stelde vast d
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ieder hun eigen groep van betrokken
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het gebied van beheer hebben betrek
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Curriculum VitaeFollowing a BSc in
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