CLIMATE RESILIENT CROPS AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

The modern era of agriculture is faced with a myriad of unprecedented and intertwined
challenges that are threatening the security of food globally and the sustainability of
agricultural systems. The high rate of population growth has greatly led to high food, feed
and fiber demand, yet the supply of natural resources like arable land, fresh water and fertile
soils is decreasing. Climate change is one of the most important and widespread factors
affecting agricultural productivity amongst these challenges. The global increase in
temperatures, inconsistent and unforeseeable rainfall patterns, higher frequency of extreme
weather events like droughts, floods and heat waves, and the slow degradation of ecosystems
have all led to a very uncertain climate in crop production. Such climatic variations have not
only impacted the amount of agricultural production but also its stability and quality thus
presenting significant threats to food systems across the globe.