Climate Change and Population Growth in Timor Leste: Implications for Food Security

The climate in Timor Leste (East Timor) is predicted to become about 1.5°C warmer and about 10% wetter on average by 2050. By the same year, the population is expected to triple from 1 to 2.5—3 million. This article maps the predicted changes in temperature and rainfall and reviews the implications...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ambio 2012-12, Vol.41 (8), p.823-840
Main Authors: Molyneux, Nicholas, da Cruz, Gil Rangel, Williams, Robert L., Andersen, Rebecca, Turner, Neil C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural production
Agriculture
Animal production
Atmospheric Sciences
Cassava
Climate Change
Corn
Crop production
Crop science
Crops
Cultivars
Deforestation
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecology
Environment
Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology
Environmental Management
Farmers
Farming systems
Fertilizers
Fodder
Food crops
Food security
Food supply
Forage
Harvest
Humans
Land area
Malnutrition
Physical Geography
Population Growth
Rain
REVIEW PAPER
Rice
Soil erosion
Soil erosion control
Sustainable agriculture
Timor-Leste
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Summary:The climate in Timor Leste (East Timor) is predicted to become about 1.5°C warmer and about 10% wetter on average by 2050. By the same year, the population is expected to triple from 1 to 2.5—3 million. This article maps the predicted changes in temperature and rainfall and reviews the implications of climate change and population growth on agricultural systems. Improved cultivars of maize, rice, cassava, sweet potato and peanuts with high yield performance have been introduced, but these will need to be augmented in the future with better adapted cultivars and new crops, such as food and fodder legumes and new management practices. The requirements for fertilizers to boost yields and terracing and/or contour hedgerows to prevent soil erosion of steeply sloping terrain are discussed. Contour hedges can also be used for fodder for improved animal production to provide protein to reduce malnutrition.
ISSN:0044-7447
1654-7209
DOI:10.1007/s13280-012-0287-0