The Regional Impacts of Climate Change

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11.3.4. Food and Fiber: Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

11.3.4.1. Agriculture

11.3.4.1.1. Regional importance of agriculture

Agriculture dominates land use and the economies of most countries in Tropical Asia. Arable land and permanent pasture occupy 15-35% of the land area in most countries; they occupy approximately 60% and 80% in India and Bangladesh, respectively (see Table 11-6). Agriculture is a key economic sector, employing more than half of the labor force and accounting for 10-63% of the GDP in 1993 in most countries of the region. Substantial foreign exchange earnings also are derived from exports of agricultural products.


Table 11-6: Land use in Tropical Asia, 1991-93.

Country
Land Area (000 ha)
Cropland (000 ha)
Permanent Pasture (000 ha)
Forest and Woodland (000 ha)
Other Land (000 ha)

Bangladesh
13,017
9,700
800
1,896
818
Bhutan
4,700
133
272
3,100
1,194
Brunei
527
7
6
450
64
Cambodia
17,652
2,367
1,967
11,667
1,652
India
297,319
169,547
11,533
68,330
47,909
Indonesia
181,157
30,993
11,776
111,258
27,130
Laos
23,080
807
800
703
20,770
Malaysia
32,855
4,880
27
20,347
7,601
Myanmar
65,755
10,061
359
32,397
22,938
Nepal
13,680
2,354
2,000
5,750
3,576
Papua New Guinea
45,286
412
13,577
7,377
2,014
Philippines
29,817
9,177
1,277
13,600
5,764
Singapore
61
1
3
57
Sri Lanka
6,463
1,903
439
2,126
1,995
Thailand
51,089
20,775
797
13,557
15,960
Viet Nam
32,549
6,607
328
9,639
15,975

Source: WRI, 1996-Data Table 9.1.


Agriculture in Tropical Asia has evolved on the basis of regionally available crop biodiversity; only a few crops from other regions-such as wheat, potatoes, and tomatoes-have competed with endemic crops and become widely cultivated. Much of the land is intensively cropped, and there is a shortage of agricultural land in some countries (see Annex D). Most areas have the potential to produce a variety of crops through year-round cultivation; in several areas, more than one crop is grown annually on the same field. Many crop combinations are common, either individually or as intercrops. Because farmers in the region utilize a variety of cropping systems, studies of one specific crop in one area cannot be extrapolated to represent tropical agriculture in Asia or its impact on the agricultural economy in general. Some indication of the range of potential impacts is highlighted in the examples below.

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