Climate change induced increases in temperature and the variability of rainfall and extreme weather events are projected to influence the occurrence of crop failures, pest and disease outbreaks, and the degradation of land and water resources. These impacts are likely to affect developing countries in South and Southeast Asia especially hard, as they push to expand their agricultural production to support growing populations and pursue income from export markets. By adapting agricultural systems to become more resilient to climatic trends and changes, losses in production can be reduced. However, the concept of adaptation is still relatively new and practical lessons from agricultural adaptation projects are limited, leaving policy makers in South and Southeast Asian countries often lacking the technical armory to take timely steps toward adaptation. There is a distinct need for agricultural practitioners to further their understanding of climate change adaptation practices.The ‘Practitioners and Policymakers' Exchange on Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture’, which was held at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok / Thailand from 30 August to 1 September 2010, aimed to address this need.
