Kazhastan > Impacts By Sectors > Agricolture
COUNTRY PROFILE
Kazakhstan
Explore the overview for a general context of how vulnerable and resilient Kazakhstan is to climate change. Explore climate impact and vulnerability by sector. View the results of the Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment for Kazakhstan. Explore the various options for climate adaptation in key sectors.
Agriculture
Food security will be threatened due to projected impacts of global climate change and extreme weather on crop nutrient content and yields, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and land use. Climate changes have already affected crop suitability in many areas, resulting in changes in the production levels of main agricultural crops. Crop production is negatively affected by the increase in both direct and indirect climate extremes. Direct extremes include changes in rainfall extremes, increases in hot nights, extremely high daytime temperature, drought, heat stress, flood and chilling damage. And indirect effects include the spread of pest and diseases, which can also have detrimental effects on cropping systems.
Some of the most direct inpats that climate change might have on the agriculture sector are listed below:
When temperatures increase past 37oC most crops experience stress or stop growing altogether. Temperature over 40 °C may render the plants infertile. Such a risk exists for the central and southern parts of Kazakhstan. Also, with the increase of temperature, pest and disease develop earlier in the season. Early incidence of heat will reduce the flowering of cereals and grain crops, resulting in a decreased harvest.
In general, the higher amount of precipitation expected over most of the country would increase the productivity. However, the expected shift in seasonality and the increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events will essentially eliminate the positive impacts for the sector.
In general, the higher amount of precipitation expected over most of the country would increase the productivity. However, the expected shift in seasonality and the increase in the frequency of heavy precipitation events will essentially eliminate the positive impacts for the sector.
Drought spells put great stress on crop growth and increases the water requirements for rainfed and irrigated arable land. It also effects the production of fodder crops for livestock.
The potential of damage from wildfires increases, while degradation to land and wind erosion also increase.
Sector Vulnerability
Agriculture is hardly impacted and may experience an overall growth of productivity. Regional there are great difference. Where Kostenay and North Kazakhstan may experience and increase of productivity West Kazakhstan, Almaty, Zhambyl and Turkestan are the hardest hit by climate change. For the southern provinces the impact is increased by the low adaptive capacity and possibly land degradation. West Kazakstan, Atyrua and Aktobe show a high sensitivity for climate change.