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- Title
Agricultural vulnerability over the Chinese Loess Plateau in response to climate change: Exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.
- Authors
Li, Xueling; Philp, Joshua; Cremades, Roger; Roberts, Anna; He, Liang; Li, Longhui; Yu, Qiang
- Abstract
Understanding how the vulnerability of agricultural production to climate change can differ spatially has practical significance to sustainable management of agricultural systems worldwide. Accordingly, this study developed a conceptual framework to assess the agricultural vulnerability of 243 rural counties on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Indicators representing the climate/agriculture interface were selected to describe exposure and sensitivity, while stocks of certain capitals were used to describe adaptive capacity. A vulnerability index for each county was calculated and the spatial distribution was mapped. Results showed that exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity occur independently, with most contributing indicator values concentrated in a narrow range after normalization. Within the 49 most vulnerable counties, which together encompass 81 % of the vulnerability index range, 42 were characterized by high exposure and sensitivity but low adaptive capacity. The most vulnerable area was found to be located in the central northeast-southwest belt of Loess Plateau. Adaptation measures for both ecological restoration and economic development are needed and potential adaptation options need further investigation.
- Subjects
LOESS Plateau (China); AGRICULTURAL productivity research; SUSTAINABILITY; CLIMATE change; ONTOLOGY
- Publication
AMBIO - A Journal of the Human Environment, 2016, Vol 45, Issue 3, p350
- ISSN
0044-7447
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s13280-015-0727-8