5th Global Workshop of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison & Improvement Project (AgMIP)

The 5th Global Workshop of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project or AgMIP met in Gainesville Florida at the end of February. The workshop was attended by over 200 groups who are key players in global and regional assessment of climate change and food security, and who are pursuing pathways to sustainable farming systems. There is much concern on how climate change effects agriculture universally including the uncertainty of variations in temperature and precipitation during the growing season, and the ability for soil water storage to replenish the soil.  AgMIP has been making major inroads in creating and evaluating agricultural models to help predict climate impacts. The project regularly oversees regional workshops with climate scientists, agronomists, and economists from leading regional and international institutions. Current research is focusing on agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, North America, South America, and Europe and in development in Australia and East Asia.

Attending AgMIP’s 5th Global Workshop was Cynthia Rosenzweig, a leading climatologist at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “By using positive agricultural modeling methods and technology, we are more able to pinpoint vulnerable farmers far better than we ever did previously,” Rosenzweig commented, adding “By solving climate change we will lead the planet to sustainable development.”

Also at the workshop was the official launch of the newly published Handbook of Climate Change and Agroecosystems, volume 3,  a compendium with over 20 contributors who worked for over a year focusing on crop modeling, development workshops and pests and diseases, among other agricultural /climate change items. This joint publication was produced by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America. It was edited by Cynthia Rosenzweig (Columbia University, USA) and Daniel Hillel (Columbia University, USA).