China has launched its first nationwide “agricultural climate resource” survey in more than 40 years, as climate change reshapes farming conditions and increases disaster risks, Xinhua reports.
The main climate resources are heat, sunlight and water and the survey can use data on them to support agricultural planning and risk management, explains Caixin.
The survey, led by the China Meteorological Administration, will run for four years and cover 25 crops. It will combine assessments of climate resources with agricultural production data to build a more accurate picture of farming conditions. The results will be used to update climate zoning across national and local levels, covering cropping systems, livestock, fisheries and facility agriculture, according to Xinhua.
China’s previous survey was completed in 1985, and much of today’s agricultural layout is still based on its findings.
Liao Yaoming, a researcher at the Climate Change Impact and Adaptation Division of China’s National Climate Center, told Caixin that climate conditions have changed significantly over the past four decades, with average temperatures rising by about 1.5C. Accumulated heat has increased, allowing crops such as rice and maize to be planted further north and at higher altitudes.
At the same time, climate risks are intensifying. Extreme rainfall events have increased by around 8% per decade, while drought-affected areas continue to expand, particularly in northern regions. High temperatures now impact more than a quarter of China’s land area each year.
In China’s national climate change adaptation strategy for 2022-2035, agriculture and food security are prioritised as the cornerstone of “enhancing the adaptive capacity of economic and social systems”. The strategy focuses on using farmland better and smarter. It encourages the growing of more crops in some regions, shifting crop types to suit the climate, raising resilient plants and animals, and promoting low-carbon, climate-friendly products to boost farmers’ incomes.
The new survey will be the first step to “get the picture”, Xinhua says, with the results helping guide crop distribution, improve disaster preparedness and strengthen climate resilience in agriculture.
Read Dialogue Earth’s recent report on how to improve Chinese farmers’ resilience to climate change.