The projected future climatic impacts on rainfed croplands spotlighted in the maps from American Farmland Trust’s climate modeling report show that farmers will need to make changes in their operations to keep much of the nation’s rainfed cropland productive in the coming decades. Some level of climate change is now unavoidable due to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions already in the atmosphere. However, many solutions already exist that can help farmers adjust and build resilience to the current and future climate. Many of these options also help farmers rapidly reduce their GHG emissions and maximize soil carbon storage so they can help limit catastrophic warming while also making their farms more resilient. This brief provides an overview of the types of climate adaptations or adjustments that may help farmers protect their rainfed acres against climate change.
![Crops in a field](https://farmlandinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/02/FUT2040-Climate-Overview-232x300.png)