Major Crops and Climate Change: The Cases of Rice, Sorghum, Sugarcane and Cotton

This chapter discusses how climate change poses major challenges for tropical crops like rice, sorghum, sugarcane, and cotton, which are mostly grown on small family farms. While large-scale farming is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, these smallholder systems also have an environmental impact. Crops like flooded rice and burned sugarcane fields emit GHGs, and all four crops are vulnerable to climate change. Cotton, though less directly affected, faces risks due to water dependence and pest pressure. The chapter outlines production systems, climate impacts, and proposes adaptation and mitigation strategies.