Adaptation Strategies Strongly Reduce the Future Impacts of Climate Change on Simulated Crop Yields.

Simulations of crop yield due to climate change vary widely between models, locations, species, management strategies, and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). To understand how climate and adaptation affects yield change, we developed a meta‐model based on 8703 site‐level process‐model simulations of yield with different future adaptation strategies and climate scenarios for maize, rice, wheat and soybean. We tested 10 statistical models, including some machine learning models, to predict the percentage change in projected future yield relative to the baseline period (2000–2010) as a function of explanatory variables related to adaptation strategy and climate change. We used the best model to produce global maps of yield change for the RCP4.5 scenario and identify the most influential variables affecting yield change using Shapley additive explanations. For most locations, adaptation was the most influential factor determining the projected yield change for maize, rice and wheat. Without adaptation under RCP4.5, all crops are expected to experience average global yield losses of 6%–21%. Adaptation alleviates this average projected loss by 1–13 percentage points. Maize was most responsive to adaptive practices with a projected mean yield loss of −21% [range across locations: −63%, +3.7%] without adaptation and −7.5% [range: −46%, +13%] with adaptation. For maize and rice, irrigation method and cultivar choice were the adaptation types predicted to most prevent large yield losses, respectively. When adaptation practices are applied, some areas are predicted to experience yield gains, especially at northern high latitudes. These results reveal the critical importance of implementing adequate adaptation strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change on crop yields. Plain Language Summary: Computer simulations are commonly used to predict how crop yield may change under future climate conditions and land management practices. For four major crops (maize, rice, wheat and soybean), we tested different statistical methods to synthesize thousands of computer simulations of crop yield change under future climate into one meta‐model which can be used to predict crop yield at any location where that crop is grown. We then predicted the change in crop yield under a likely future climate scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5) and identified which variables most explained the crop yield change. Considering both adaptive management status (whether or not adaptation practices were applied) and climate factors (average temperature, change in temperature, average precipitation, change in precipitation, CO2 concentration), we found that adaptation status was the most influential factor determining the predicted yield change for most crops. Managing cropland adaptively in the future can reduce predicted yield losses by 1–13 percentage points relative to maintaining the same management practices. We discuss which types of management practices may be the most useful for different crops, as well as which areas of the world are expected to gain or lose crop yield in the future. Key Points: Under future climate scenario Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5, average global yields of maize, rice, wheat, and soybean are projected to decrease by 6%–21%Implementing adaptive management practices could reduce this loss by 1–13 percentage points relative to maintaining the same practicesSome areas of the world, such as northern high latitudes, may see future yield increases if adaptation practices are applied [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]