Preface

Agronomy is a branch of agricultural science that deals with production of crops and soil management. The production of crops will need to increase by 50 percent over the next few decades to fulfil expected demand as the world population is estimated to increase to 9 billion by 2050. The rapidly growing population and the increase in demand for food, feed and fuel will require sustainable agronomic practices to increase crop productivity. Sustainable agronomic practices are important to improve food security in changing climates. Agronomy is closely related to two of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG-2 (Zero Hunger) focuses explicitly on food by seeking to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. SDG-13 (Climate Change) calls for urgent actions to combat the negative effects of climate change. The main job of agronomists is to introduce a crop production system through which it makes possible the best use of light, heat, water and soil for sustainable and greater production of crops that are more suitable and resilient to the socioeconomic needs of farming communities, like poverty and hunger alleviation, food security, climate change adaptation and environmental protection.

*Agronomy: Food Security and Climate Change* presents, over six chapters, a comprehensive picture of the importance of agronomy in SDGs. It is designed for students, researchers, technologists and policy makers.

We are thankful to all authors who contributed their valuable chapters to this book. We are also extremely grateful to IntechOpen's Author Service Manager Ms. Romina Rovan for helping us to publish this book in excellent form in the shortest possible time. We owe our sincere thanks and gratitude to our families, whose consistent encouragement and love have been a tremendous impetus for the completion of this book.

**Dr. Amanullah**

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, University of Agriculture Peshawar, Pakistan

**1**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

Agronomy-Food Security-Climate

Climate change has negative effects on food security, water security, and energy security due to change in extreme events such as floods, droughts, and heat waves, and reduces agricultural productivity. Global demand for food is projected to double by 2050. The rapidly growing population and the increase in demand for food, feed, and fuel will require sustainable agronomic practices to increase crop productivity. To meet the challenge, many advanced agronomic practices have been developed. For example: (1) selection of suitable crops and their varieties that are resistant to biotic stresses, (2) selection of suitable crops and their varieties that are resistant to abiotic stresses (3) selection of suitable cropping system, sustainable intensification. Sustainable agronomic practices are important to improve food security in changing climates. SDG-2 focuses explicitly on food by seeking to "end hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture". SDG-1 focuses on poverty reduction, where agriculture have a key role to play. SDG-13 specifically calls for "urgent actions to combat climate change and its impacts." About 45 of the 169 targets are related to SDG-13, which highlights the need to tackle climate change and avert its impacts, particularly on

**Keywords:** agronomy, agriculture, sustainable development goals, SDGs, climate

The main job of agronomists is introducing such sophisticated production system through which is made possible the best use of light, heat, water, and soil for the crop production. Haman intervention in production and consumption of food and feed for human and their animals is accountable in climate change, which gives rise to other environmental changes like change in biodiversity, carbon and nitrogen cycling, and fresh water supplies [1, 2]. Change in climate may bring positive effects in some part of the world, particularly

attain food security in developing countries because of the negative impacts of climate change on crop production especially in subtropical and tropical areas [3–7]. There are three major factors responsible for the climate change and their

northern altitudes. Change in climate, will further complex to

Change and the Sustainable

Development Goals

food security, water, energy, and economic development.

change, GHG gases, food security

**1. Introduction**

above about 55°

*Amanullah and Shah Khalid*
