Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

extreme or critical threshold events relative to crop development, and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations (Singh et al., 2011). Other factors may include changing conditions which facilitate the spread of pests harmful to agriculture. While all agricultural production depends on water, Asian agricultural especially requires large amounts of this resource to produce its most important staple foods – wheat and rice. Any reductions in water availability could therefore have a devastating effect on the region’s food security (Rasul, 2010). HKH countries already rely heavily on water that originates in the region’s

through delayed or early onset of monsoons and change in their duration, higher rainfall variability, and increased extreme events, including floods and droughts (Shrestha et al., 2015a). However, agricultural productivity is projected to increase in certain areas. For example, within Chitral district, Pakistan, wheat yields are expected to increase with temperature increases of between 1.50 and 3 ° C (Hussain &Mudasser, 2007). Agriculture is very sensitive to climate change and is mainly affected by changes in temperature, precipitation, length of growing season, the timing of

Water use by sector

Municipal

Industrial

Agricultural

Year of survey 2005

Bangladesh

Afghanistan

Percentage

2008

1 1

10 2

88

98

Bhutan

China

2008

2015

Agricultural productivity Net Production Index (2004-2006=100)*

5 1

13 22

* Net Production Index is the relative level of the aggregate volume of agricultural production for each year in comparison with the base period 2004-2006.

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

China

94

64

146

137

125

119

128

116

102

96

India

Myanmar

100

2010

2005

11

2 7

97

95

2

91

86

91

87

2004

2010

2016

Nepal

Pakistan

2005

2008

138

138

133

2 0

1 5

145

128

113

111

124

100

98

94

98

97

95

92

India

Myanmar

Nepal

Pakistan

Source:FAO,FaostatDatabaseonline, (fao.org)

Source:FAO,AquastatDatabaseonline, (fao.org)

GRID-A RENDAL / L ÓPEZ , 2018

GRID-A RENDAL / L ÓPEZ , 2018

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