About the course

Building on the concepts and theories on Water Productivity presented in the first and second phases of the project, this self-administered course focuses on the challenges posed by a changing climate for crop production in drylands and strategies to adapt.

According to several demographic models, the population in the drylands is expected to increase in the coming years, causing an increase in the food demand as well. In environments where agriculture is already limited by weather, soil and ecosystem conditions, adapting to climate change becomes critical.

The course will present the effects of climate change on crop production and will introduce and discuss relevant methodologies for identifying impacts on crop production and adaptation strategies.

The course is composed by 3 modules:

• Module 1: Climate change in arid and semiarid regions
• Module 2: Effects of climate change on crops
• Module 3: How to assess the potential impacts of climate change on crop production: implementing the AquaCrop model

System requirements

This course can be accessed online, clicking on the link below, without registration. It runs on the latests versions of major broses, such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari.

Audience

The present course targets national professionals and technicians from relevant ministries, research institutes, and national institutions related to irrigation management and crop production.

Module 1: Climate change in arid and semi-arid regions

Learning objectives

• Identify the climate-driven challenges in agriculture, especially in arid and semiarid regions
• Identify foreseeable changes due to climate change
• Interpret how climate models work

Structure of the course

• Section 1: Introduction to climate change
• Section 2: Challenges to agriculture in arid and semiarid regions
• Section 3: Causes and effects of climate change
• Section 4: Expected changes in climate
• Summary and exercises

Module 2: Effects of climate change on crops

Learning objectives

• Identify and analyse the general effects that climate change produces on agriculture
• Recognize methodologies for identifying impacts on crop production
• Interpret the impact of different climatic factors on crops

Structure of the course

• Section 1: Relationship between climate change and agriculture
• Section 2: General effects of climate change on ecosystems
  
• Section 3: Climate change impacts on crops
  
• Summary and exercises
  

Module 3: How to access the potential impact of climate change on crop production – Implementing the AquaCrop model

Learning objectives

• Identify the approaches and methods for conducting impact assessments
• Recognize and interpret limitations and uncertainties of the models
• Conduct practical exercises for the assessment of  climate change impacts with FAO AquaCrop model

Structure of the course

• Section 1: Approaches and methods for impact assessments
• Section 2: Simulation of climate change impacts on crop production
  
• Summary and exercises

Partners

This course has been developed by FAO Land and Water Division in collaboration with the University of Cordoba (Spain).

Thematic areas