This book focuses on the intersection of climate change and agriculture, specifically addressing how climate variability and change impact agricultural systems in Venezuela. The main topics include climate variability, its effects on crop production, regional differences in agricultural vulnerability, and practical strategies for adaptation and mitigation. The book explores the challenges faced by Venezuelan farmers, from increasing temperatures and erratic precipitation to extreme weather events like droughts and floods. It also presents strategies for adapting agricultural practices, enhancing soil health, and improving water management to build resilience. This book is novel because no comprehensive work has been published before that addresses these issues in the Venezuelan context. It fills a significant gap in the literature by providing a localized, in-depth analysis of climate change's impact on agriculture. The book is important because it offers farmers, policymakers, and researchers actionable insights into sustainable practices, aiming to solve the problem of increasing vulnerability in Venezuela's agricultural sector. It provides solutions to ensure food security and environmental sustainability in the face of a changing climate.

Provides actionable strategies for adapting to erratic precipitation, increasing temperatures, and extreme weather Guides how to develop climate-smart agriculture, improve food security, and promote environmental sustainability Emphasizes regional collaboration and the potential for scaling climate-smart practices

Autorentext
Barlin Orlando Olivares Campos completed his Ph.D. Cum Laude in Agricultural, Food, Forestry Engineering, and Sustainable Rural Development (International Mention) from the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CeiA3) of the University of Cordoba (UCO), Spain (2022). He was awarded a scholarship from the Iberoamerican Postgraduate University Association (AUIP). His outstanding scientific activity earned him the UCO Extraordinary Ph.D Award in 2022 and the National Award for Relevant Doctoral Thesis from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in 2024. He is an Agricultural Engineer from the Faculty of Agronomy of the Central University of Venezuela (2009), obtaining the Recognition for the Best Final Degree Project and a master's degree in Environmental Technology from the International University of Andalusia, Spain (2015) through a Carolina Foundation scholarship. He started in the scientific field in 2008, when he obtained a scholarship to stay at the Water Center for Arid and Semi-arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC) based in Chile, within the framework of the UNESCO International Hydrological Program. Later, he was a young researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) of Venezuela from September 2009 to January 2014, carrying out scientific activities and knowledge transfer to farmers. At the same time, he was an instructor professor in the agricultural climatology department of the National Experimental Polytechnic University of the Bolivarian Armed Forces. He was also a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Studies Foundation, Venezuela (IDEA), during August 2014 for the scientific-technical dissemination of agricultural biotechnology, and finally a researcher at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology, Venezuela (INAMEH) (January 2016- May 2017), generating scientific production of the agroecology zoning of crops. He has more than 15 years of experience in research on agri-food systems and has significantly advanced the generation of knowledge in agricultural sciences through the use of sophisticated algorithmic models of machine learning. He is currently a member of the Biodiversity Management Research Group (GESBIO) at the UCO, where he works as a data scientist developing the Federated Data Space for Citrus and as a consultant for the FAO in machine learning. Also, he is an honorary associate professor in Food Bromatology for the Bachelor's Degree in Food Science and Technology at the UCO. He is the author of an outstanding scientific production of journal articles, books, and chapters in book, also. He has participated in the supervision of thesis and conference presentations, and obtained various fellowships, accreditations, and recognitions, as well as participation in projects for the promotion and dissemination of science in agricultural spaces. He has carried out nine research stays in research institutes and universities of international prestige in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, and Panama. Aníbal Rosales Hernández is an Agronomist, graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) in 1970. He obtained a Master of Science and a PhD from Cornell University, USA, in 1981. He is currently a retired professor of soils at UCV-Agronomy. He served as Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Soil Science and Director of the Soil Institute. He designed and established the national soil collection of Venezuela at UCV. With permission from UCV, he served as General Director of Information and Research at the Ministry of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources of Venezuela, responsible for national inventories of water, soils, and vegetation. He established the National Center for Plant Genetic Resources and Biodiversity and the Amazon Environmental Research Center. He was a member of the Venezuelan Delegation for the preparation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and before the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). He was a professor of Watershed Management at the Center for Development Studies (CENDES) of UCV. He was a member of the Working Teams of the Hydroelectric Basin Evaluation Projects and the Upper Guárico River Basin, which supplies water to the capital city of Caracas. He has conducted and led environmental studies and soil and land evaluations, some for the energy and oil sector. He has been a consultant on environmental projects for the World Bank, the GEF (member of the PIF formulation team for the Canaima National Park project, Venezuela), and the Inter-American Development Bank. After he retired from UCV, he served as Operations Manager for the international environmental firm Ecology and Environment S.A., based in Caracas, leading environmental studies, especially in the oil and gas sector. He has participated in the following recent publications: (i) Coordinator of the Agriculture chapter of the 2nd Climate Change Report of Venezuela (ANIHVEN and ACFIMAN), ongoing until 2025; (ii) Team member (co-author) of the project Strategies for Agro-Export in the Context of Future Development Scenarios of Venezuela. Orinoco Group and IICA 2023; (iii) Coordinator and co-author of the proceedings of the Forum-Workshop Harmonization of Agricultural and Urban Uses for the Sustainable Development of the Lake Valencia Depression, Orinoco Group-SVCS-ANIHVEN 2021; (iv) Coordinator and co-author of the integrated watershed management plan: case of the upper Guárico River basin. IICA and Orinoco Group 2020; (v) Co-author of the works: Mapping projected variations of temperature and precipitation due to climate change in Venezuela and Projected Effect of Climate Change on Land Suitability for Maize Cultivation in the Western Plains of Venezuela; (vi) Promoter of the GeoVenezuela publication and co-author of the chapter Soil Geography of Venezuela Fundación Empresas Polar 2007; (vii) Co-editor of the book Water in Venezuela: A Scarce Resource, and co-author of the following chapters: Watersheds and Their Integrated Management, Research and Human Resource Training Agenda for the Integrated Use of Water, and Final Message. Fundación Empresas Polar, 2015, Caracas. Jesús A. Viloria R. is an Agricultural Engineer who graduated from the Central University of Venezuela, where he also earned a Master of Science degree in Soil Science. His…