“Providing Education in face of climate change, food and energy scarcity”

Dr. Charles Rice - from Kansas State University and IPCC 2007

What’s your opinion about climate change?
“I’ve been working in this area there’s 20 years. I had the opportunity to participate in the IPCC in 2007. I was one of the leaders of the agriculture chapter for the “mitigation” working group (the others groups were “science of climate”; “impacts, vulnerability and adaptation”). Under that assessment report there was evidence that the climate is changing and part of it is due to human activities.”
“The point that’s particularly important to the agriculture is: Climate change is not just temperature but, also precipitation and variability of the climate. From the agricultural standpoint this change is very important because a change in precipitation can cause increased erosion or a change in variation can increase water stress. Those aspects are critical to produce food and increase the risk to the farmer.

Can science solve this problem?
“Science will help but with the increase variability it’s more difficult to solve this problem”

Talking about mitigation… “We found that over the next 20 years, agriculture can provide significant mitigation of climate change by iIncreasing soil sequestration or reducing greenhouse gases (primarily N2O and CH4). The benefits of those mitigation practices can help sustainability and also reduce the vulnerability of climate change.
Examples of mitigation practices: “No till agriculture can increase carbon sequestration in soil and also conserve soil water which reduces the vulnerability to climate change.
The other additional benefit is that no till reduces fuel use also reducing CO2.
Other cropping practices like intensification of crop rotation can increase soil carbon.” Then having no till already in Brazil we still can have an opportunity into increase carbon sequestration with improving crop rotation.

Talking about nitrogen: “We can reduce N2O by improving nitrogen fertilizer management. That can be achieve by changing the rate of nitrogen fertilizer, timing, placement and format. All those factors can improve nitrogen use efficiency which has a benefit to the environment as well as to the farm because he/she reduces the input cost.”

"What we and others have found is that the agriculture can offset CO2 emissions from others sources by 10 to 15% and that provides an opportunity for agriculture to receive benefits for providing carbon credits.
“This an opportunity for farmers to receive payment for carbon credits if the right policies are developed”

“The value of the students and faculty exchanges between US and Brazil is that it increases their global awareness. In addition it provides a comparison between temperate and tropical agricultural system. This exchange is particularly important since in terms of food security Brazil and US are major players in the world. This program can provide leadership for food security and climate issues.”

Interview with Dr Charles Rice

This week we received in Brazil Dr Charles Rice, from Kansas State University! He came to teach in Santa Maria about "Climate Change and Agriculture". We'll post an exclusive interview with him tomorrow! Great Opportunity!