Extended Abstracts

CLIMATE CHANGE ITS EFFECTS ON THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN

MALAYSIA
by
Mustafa Kamal Baharuddin,
Director, Soil Resource Management and Conservation Division, Deartment of
Agriculture, Malaysia
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Malaysia is blessed "ith good troical "eather# Due to its roximity to the
e$uator, stretches from latitudes %
o
&%' ( to &
o
)%' ( and from longitudes **
o
+,' E to --*
o
.,' E# Malaysia is a humid troical country and its climate is
characteri/ed by maritime monsoon "inds "hich are sub0ect to interference by
mountains in 1eninsula Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra#
2he average annual rainfall is about .,).% mm3yr in the eninsular, .,&+%
mm3yr in Sabah and +4,% mm3yr in Sara"a5# 6o"ever, the annual rainfall is
more than ),%%% mm3yr in mountainous areas of Sara"a5, and more than
+,%%% mm3yr in the northern half of 1eninsular Malaysia and the coastal areas
of Sabah and Sara"a5#
2he monthly mean air temerature is .,
o
C to .4
o
C in the coastal lo"lands and
monthly relative humidity is bet"een 7, to *%8#
Agriculture in Malaysia contributes about +#&8 of 9(1 and at least a third of the
country:s oulation deends to the agriculture sector for their livelihood# 2hus,
significant climate change definitely affects the agriculture sector in term of
roduction as "ell as the imacting socio economics roblem to the eole
involved in the sector and the nation as a "hole#
CLIMATIC CHANGE IN MALAYSIA
Climate change or global "arming is the most serious environmental threats of
the .-
st
centuries# Extreme or severe "eather is simly really bad "eather or
"eather on larger, more serious and devastating scale, creating a natural
disaster# A disaster caused by climate change could be defined as a serious
disrution to the functioning of a community or a society causes "idesread
human, material, economic or environmental losses "hich exceed the ability of
the affected community or society to coe using its o"n resources#
;n Malaysia, forecast have been made on climate modeling using -) 9CM:s
<9lobal Climate Models= "hich sho"s that Malaysia could exerience
temerature changes from %#7 to .#& degree Celsius and reciitation changes
ranging from >+%8 to +%8#
2here are many factors identified to cause and influence climate change# 2hese
factors could be global, national and locali/ed factors# 9lobal "arming, oen
burning <ha/e= are some of the good examles of global factor that are trans>
border in nature "hilst industriali/ation, clearing of land for agriculture,
encroachment of fragile ecosystem are examles of national and locali/ed causal
factors#
;n general, Malaysia could be considered as a free /one from climate related
disaster# 6o"ever, mild climate related disasters are $uite fre$uent to haen
lately# 2hese refer to the occurrence of floods and droughts that caused
significant socio>economic imacts to the nation "hile the occurrence of
landslides due to excessive rainfall and strong "inds haened at the hilly and
the latter, at the coastal areas caused minimal damage#
;n agriculture, one of the matters that affected continuously is flood# ?looding can
be defined as any area of land covered by "ater "hich is normally dry#
Sometimes "ater levels can rise slo"ly and unnoticed# @ther time, flooded can
be raid, sudden and unexected#
2he floods incidence haened in the southern states of Malaysia, involving
(egeri Sembilan, Mela5a, Aohor and 1ahang# Aohor "as the "orst affected# ;t
"as reorted that the "arming effect in Siberia lead to a heavy rainfall in
Southern Malaysia, comliments "ith oor drainage systems, thus exaggerate
the floods#
Bithout ade$uate measures, occurrence of floods could cause dislacement of
eole, damaged infrastructures and losses of agricultural roduction from
eroded3inundated lands# ;n general, about *8 of the land area in Malaysia <.#*7
million ha= is flood rone and as many as +#, million eole have become
victims# Monetarily, it is difficult to estimate the $uantum but a conservative figure
of RM -%% million has been used to estimate the average flood damage er year#
Second matter related to extreme climate change is droughts# A drought can be
defined as a continuous and long eriod in "hich rainfall is significantly belo" the
average exected for a region at that time of year#
@ne of the "ell remembered but localised incidence "as the -**- drought in
Malacca that caused the drying u of Durian 2unggal Dam and resulted in
rolonged "ater rationing in most arts of the state#
2here have been numerous drought occurrences in the ast, but the most
significant one "as the -**73*4 El (ino related drought "hich caused extensive
imact to environment and social activities across the "hole nation# Many arts
of the nation including the state of Selangor, Sara"a5 and Sabah "ere
threatened by extensive "ild forest fire due to rolong dry "eather condition# 2he
local situation couled "ith that haened in the neighbouring country had
resulted in months of ha/y atmoshere that threatened the health of every
citi/en#
Sabah "as erhas the most affected state by the -**4 drought# All the
Divisions suffered extremely high rainfall deficits <some as lo" as *%8 of long
term mean= for a eriod ranging from ) to * months, affecting more than .,7*7
5m. and -7%,%%% eole# About -,4% 5m. "as engulfed in "ild fire, of "hich
more than -%% 5m. "ere agricultural lands# More than 7,.%% farmers "ere
affected "ith an estimated loss of about RM 7 million# A number of districts had
to go for "ater rationing to ease off the situation# ;n fe" villages, their hill adi
cros "ere totally "ied out romting the authority to send in food suly to the
affected areas# Similar situation "as exerienced in the (orth Eastern art of
Sara"a5 near Miri region# 2he rolonged and extremely dry sells had resulted
ramant "ild fire that had destroyed a si/able area of agricultural cros#
IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON AGRICULTURE
2he imact of climate change affects several sectors in Malaysia mainly
agriculture, forestry, ublic health, energy sector and "ater C coastal resources#
Agriculture is one of the sectors greatly affected by extreme climate change#
1hysical damage, lost of cro harvest, dro in roductivity, vigor and others
related to cro otentials are examles of direct and indirect effect of the extreme
climate change#
;n Malaysia, at least one third of the country:s oulation deends on the
agriculture sector for their livelihood, "ith some -)8 "or5ing in farms and
lantations# ?rom the land use ersective, about +*#.8 of total land use or
about ,#-4 million hectares are lanted "ith tree cros li5e rubber, oil alm,
cocoa, coconut, fruits and vegetables#
2hus, occurrence of disaster due extreme climate change such as floods, could
imact damaging effect on the economy, social and sychology of the eole
affected# Recent floods in Aohor had dislaced --%,%%% eole, damaging an
estimate of RM %#+, billion "orth of infrastructures and RM .#) billion of
economics losses# An estimate of RM 4) million "orth of agriculture roduce
"ere damaged or losses affecting 7%%% farmers#
2he sustainability of food suly could also be affected by climate change#
According to official ro0ections, increasing in temerature and changes in rainfall
attern could affect yields directly# ;ncreased in temerature and changes in
rainfall attern could fasten the sread of fungus and diseases directly or
indirectly < e#g Phytopthora sp in rubber lantation=, thus affecting yield# States
that most vulnerable to these changes are the northern 1eninsular Malaysia as
"ell as the coastal of Sabah and Sara"a5#
Changing climate affects the agriculture industry# Based on agricultural cycle,
increasing in rainfall is not good for rubber# Rubber lantations could suffer due
to lost of taing days and cro "ashouts#
Some cros li5e oil alm could flourish "ith higher rainfall# 6o"ever, excessive
rainfall is detrimental as yield is significantly affected# ;t "as reorted that flood
related roblems in southern Malaysia had decreased the roduction of crude
alm oil to -#- million metric ton or .&#+8 in December .%%&
2he imacts on agricultural differ from one to the other# Climate change signifies
by decrease in rainfall "ill affected cros that need "et conditions such as
addy, vegetables and others# Rice grain yields also may decline by * to -%8 for
each - degree Celsius rise# 1rolonged droughts ma5e it imossible to sustain the
flooded rice ecosystem and it "ill 0eoardi/e security of food suly# 1rolonged
rainfall "ill also affect the sunshine hours# 2hus, affecting yield of cro <e#g# rice
grain filling=#
Mean"hile, the rising in sea level due to climate change could force the
abandoning of lo">lying lanted areas such as addy, corn, coconut and others#
TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE -ADAPTATION MEASURES IN
AGRICULTURE SECTOR
;n general, Malaysia adots Drecautionary rinciles: to mitigate ad adat to
climate change, even though there are still scientific uncertainties# At the national
level, Malaysia has formed a (ational Climate Committee to formulate and
imlement strategies on climate change# 2he strategies dra"n include olicies
on energy usage, ublic a"areness on climate change, food suly and effective
forest and coastal management to mitigate deforestation and the rising of sea
level#
Aart from the national olicies imlemented, secific adatation measures are
necessary to manage sectoral imacts due to climate change# ;n the agriculture
sector, adatation measures are vital to ensure sustainability of the agriculture
activities# 2hese measures includeE
The use of Agroc!"#$!c C#ss!f!c#$!o% !% #gr!cu$ur# &#%%!%g'
2he Deartment of Agriculture drafted an agroclimatic ma of 1eninsular
Malaysia based on the agriculture rainfall index <AR;= in -**%# 2en
agroclimatic <AR;= /ones "ere identified according to the number of
consecutive dry and consecutive "et months# 2he agroclimatic mas
defined the various regions according to the variations in environmental
re$uirements of different cros as "ell as on the regional differences of
the natural environment, articularly climate and soils#
The use of So! Su!$#(!!$) Cr!$er!# for cro& &ro*uc$!o%'
1hysical and chemical roerties of the soil affect cro roduction# Soil
deth, texture, clay fraction, soil structure, bul5 density and available soil
moisture are among the ma0or soil hysical roerties that affect cro
roduction# Soil reaction, cation exchange caacity and nutrient
comosition are the soil chemical roerties, imortant in cro roduction#
By considering these roerties in soil suitability classification, the
success of a cro roduction endeavour can be ensured "ith a
reasonable margin of safety#
@thers adatation measures include
>Develo lant varieties that are tolerant to high temeratures and high
"ater use efficiency
>1reserve 1ermanent ?orest Reserves and "ater catchment areas to
ensure ade$uate "ater suly for agriculture
>Strengthen agricultural extension services < soil conservation measure
and roduction efficiency=
>Strengthen ;ntegrated 1est Management <;1M= and biocontrol rocedures
to deal incidences of est and diseases
>;mrove regional and international cooeration on agriculture> climate
change related issues
>;ntroduce agriculture insurance to minimi/e ris5 related to climate change
CONCLUSION
Climate change is a trans>border issue and its occurrence in Malaysia is evitable#
;n managing climate change, Malaysia has dra"n and imlemented olicies and
strategies on climate change to minimi/e imacts on our economy#
Agriculture sector is an imortant sector in Malaysia# 6o"ever, agriculture is the
most vulnerable sector to the extreme climate change# ?loods and droughts are
the most common henomena or disaster on the extreme side#
?loods and droughts need to be managed holistically as its imact is enormous,
economically, socially and sychologically to the eole and to the nation# More
imortantly, it could affect the sustainability of food suly of the nation# ;n
addressing adverse effect of climate change on agriculture, secific adatation
measures to manage climate change is necessary#