Effects of climate variability and change on Chinese agriculture: a review

Agricultural production and food security are critical areas where anthropogenic climate change is likely to produce significant im pacts. Nowhere is this issue more pressing than in China, where exposure and sensitivity to climatic hazards is high; because of its size and geographical diversity, China experiences many types of climatic hazards, and because of its transitional economy, production and employment in agriculture remain very important, such that hundreds of millions of livelihoods remain vulnerable to climatic hazards. For example, China experienced a serious drought across 5 provinces in southwest China which lasted for 6 mo from the end of 2009 to April 2010.