Achieving more productive and resilient agriculture requires radical changes in the management practices of water, soil, nutrients and other agricultural resources to promote agricultural production and adaptability. Using isotope techniques, carbon, water and nutrients can be quantified and their pathways and dynamics in different agro-ecosystems can be studied to improve smart farming practices.
Farmers need help to develop practices that can adapt to and mitigate the impact of climate change while being able to increase food production. Better management of natural resources, such as land, water, soil and genetic resources, is needed to increase production and the adaptability of agriculture. This should include practices such as conservation agriculture, which can have many benefits, including reduced soil erosion, as well as increased soil water retention and nutrient availability for crops, accumulation of soil organic matter, and crop and livestock productivity.
In collaboration with FAO, IAEA is working to improve and strengthen the capacity of member countries in the use of nuclear and isotope techniques to adopt more climate-smart agricultural practices while supporting further intensification of crop production and enhanced conservation of natural resources.
Climate-smart farming practices can contribute to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock production. These practices often have benefits for both the agricultural economy and the environment. For example, improving the quality and nutritional balance of livestock feed not only reduces intestinal and greenhouse gas emissions from manure, but also helps to increase productivity and thus income. Improved animal husbandry and health practices help to reduce the number of breeding animals that consume resources but do not yet produce and the associated emissions.
Small mixed farms producing both meat and milk emit less greenhouse gases than specialised farms producing meat and milk separately. Genetic characterisation, marker-assisted selection and feed improvement can help to increase meat production from dairy animals and improve its quality.
