Enhancing climate-crop models for actionable agricultural climate change adaptation

Many climate-crop models designed to predict the relationship and the future of agriculture in the face of climate change, though profound, mainly offer empirical understandings with little direct impact on informing agricultural practices. In this study, a systematic review was conducted to analyze 65 peer-reviewed studies related to climate extremes, risk assessment, and agricultural impacts. The articles were sourced from reliable databases to ascertain the contribution of existing models and their challenges. Findings reveal that while valuable for broad predictions, current climate-crop models often fail to capture the localized microclimatic and socio-economic variables critical for agricultural applications. There is also a gap between corporate and local practices, which is not beneficial. Therefore, models must be simple and incorporate region-specific factors, such as soil properties, pest and disease pressures, and farmers’ access to resources, to make them more actionable. This study recommends improved integration of localized environmental conditions and enhancing climate-crop models for agriculture to develop effective adaptation strategies, improving resilience, and mitigating future impact.