ACTIVITY 3.1FOOD, FORAGE & FIBRE CROPS

• Wheat • Grass & Forage• Rice • Arable Weeds• Roots and Tubers • Grain Legumes• Tropical Cereals• Plantation Forestry

ACTIVITY 3.3SOILS

• Soil Organic Matter (SOMNET) • Soil Erosion• Decomposition and Soil Respiration (with Focus 1)• Nutrient Release and Gaseous Emissions (with IGAC)

GCTE FOCUS 3: AGROECOLOGY & PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

ACTIVITY 3.2PESTS & DISEASES

• Insect Dynamics• Disease Dynamics• Pest Risk Analysis

• Potato Late Blight Network• Wheat Karnal Bunt Network• Wheat Stripe Rust Network

• N Dynamics & Crop Growth Network• C Sequestration in Plantation Forestry Network

ACTIVITY 3.4PRODUCTION SYSTEMS• Continuous Monocultures• Rotations• Intercrops

CropStands

Cropping Systems

FoodSystems

Farming Systems

GCTE Networks

GCTE Activity 3.4

GECAFS

Exa

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How would changes in climate variability

affect yield at plot level?

How would changes in climate variability

affect farm production?

How would changes in climate variability

affect rural livelihoods?

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sue s • Relations to soil N and water

• Micronutrients• Stand establishment• Losses to weeds• Mechanistic coupling of pests

and diseases• Simulation of quality

• Linking “sole crop” models• Farm-level databases including

management variables• Inclusion of other crops• Using model outputs to

analyse system performance

• Regional-level databases including biophysical and socioeconomic variables

• Regional-level scenarios• Integrated socioeconomic-

biophysical models• Feedbacks of management

scenarios to socioeconomic and environmental conditions

How are yield declines in the rice-wheat cropping system apportioned between variations in seasonal weather, planting date and/or other management aspects? [RWC/GCTE]

How can potential yield losses across the region due to increased climate variability and consequent changes in planting date and other management aspects be quantified and mapped? [RWC/GCTE]

What are the strategies that will improve the system productivity and sustainability, thereby improving food security, and how would these strategies need to be adjusted in response to changing climate variability? [GECAFS/RWC/CP-CC]

What will be the consequences of these strategies for environment and local livelihoods? “trade-offs” analyses [GECAFS/RWC/CP-CC]

Research questions relating to climate variabilityDrafted by the RWC

Next Steps I: March 2002, Delhi

13-14 March: Preparation for RWC/GCTE Workshop to plan a 3-5 year research programme (Delhi, October 2002)

• Plan the October Workshop• Identify Workshop invitees• Identify appropriate datasets for collaborative preparation for Workshop exercises

15-16 March: GECAFS/RWC “Issue Identification” Workshop (DfID & NOAA funded)

• Prioritorise policy-relevant research issues within the GECAFS framework• Identify principal potential collaborators for joint research programme• Design September Planning Meeting and establish preliminary invitee list

Example Case Study Issues for CGIAR CP-CC development

Next Steps II: late 2002, Delhi

RWC/GCTE Research Planning Workshop (October;APN funded)

• Establish overall research agenda and basic implementation strategy• Evaluate existing crop, soil and climate data for modelling the R-W system and

cropping-system models• Identify regional and international research groups who can collaborate to develop

and implement a 3-5 year research linked to the GECAFS framework. Strengthen regional systems analysis research capability and consolidate links with international crop modelling groups

GECAFS/RWC Research Planning Workshop (November; DfID & NOAA funded)

• Establish overall research agenda and basic implementation strategy.• Confirm regional and international collaborators to develop and implement a 3-5

year GECAFS research project• Establish mechanism to maintain links to policy community during

implementation. Example CGIAR CP-CC Case Study Research Strategy