Studies in Africa1 and South America2 concluded recently3 collected and analyzed data from 19 countries. Key highlights: Impact is substantial but heterogeneous. A continent-wide impact (both in Africa and South America) of various uniform scenarios of likely change in temperature and precipitation is quite substantial. It is estimated that by the year 2100, per hectare net income of farmers would be reduced by up to 25% in Africa and up to 66% in South America depending on the climate change scenario and Global Climate Model used. As can be expected, rainfed areas are much more vulnerable than irrigated areas. The impacts of warming, however, vary a great deal across the landscape. Some areas are especially hard hit and some areas may benefit, depending on the climate scenario, the existing land cover, production practices, and the present climate in each location. Small and large farms face different impacts in Africa, but very similar impacts in South America, due to differences in cropping patterns and technologies. Warming will cause relatively bigger losses in net income to large farmers compared with the loss to small farmers in Africa, but about the same percentage loss in land value and net income for both small and large farms in South America.4 Farmers already adapt. Farmers make different choices in different climates. The studies found that decisions by farmers to switch to plant crops, livestock, or both crops and livestock, depends on the climate. Farmers in places that are temperate and wet tend to raise crops. Farmers in places that turn drier tend to raise livestock. Farmers in places that turn hotter tend to raise both crops and livestock. Another choice that depends on climate is irrigation. Farmers are more likely to choose and rely on irrigation, where water is available, if their farm is in a cool and dry location. The results provide strong evidence that farmers will make adjustments in how they grow crops and raise livestock in order to cope with global warming, depending on public policies that make such adjustments easier or difficult. Notes 1. Kurukulasuriya P., R. Mendelsohn, R. Hassan, J. Benhin, T. Deressa, M. Diop, H. Mohamed Eid, K.Yerfi Fosu, G. Gbetibouo, S. Jain, A. Mahamadou, R. Mano, J. Kabubo-Mariara, S. El-Marsafawy, E. Molua, S. Ouda, M. Ouedraogo, I. Sène, D. Maddison, S. Niggol Seo, and Ariel Dinar, "Will African Agriculture Survive Climate Change?", World Bank Economic Review, 20(3):367-388, 2006. 2. Mendelsohn Robert and Niggol Seo, "Changing farm types and irrigation as an adaptation to climate change in Latin American agriculture", World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4161, 2007.
Seo, Niggol and Robert Mendelsohn, "An analysis of crop choice: adapting to climate change in Latin American farms", World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4162, 2007.
Seo, Niggol and Robert Mendelsohn, "A Ricardian analysis of the impact of climate change on Latin American farms", World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4163, 2007.
Seo, Niggol and Robert Mendelsohn, "An analysis of livestock choice : adapting to climate change in Latin American farms", World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4164, 2007. 3. Initiated in ARD but concluded and published in DECRG-RU. 4. Big and small have different scales in South America and in Africa. 
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