If you want to know about climate change – What? Where? When? How much? – then this is not the book for you. Rather, this book accepts established projections coupled with recognized uncertainties and then considers the problems that face agriculture, and what technologies there are that may help to alleviate the problems associated with a changing world climate.

The book is logically structured from its introduction and consideration of scenarios and their economic impacts through a series of chapters each dealing with means to avoid or cope with particular sets of stresses, e.g. disease, heat and drought, salinity and waterlogging. The later chapters become progressively esoteric, from greenhouse gas mitigation, conservation agriculture and soil microbial communities to biotechnology (genetic modification), simulation and statistical modelling.

Authorship of the 14 chapters is drawn from a range of research institutes and universities, ensuring well-informed approaches to the problems. The timescale being viewed is the period from now until 2050 or 2080 – a period that extends beyond the life spans of most of its readers but yet is very imminent. Given the rising human population, the lessening area and quality of agricultural land and the time required to breed for adaptation to greater stresses, the problems being examined need urgently to be addressed.

Over the whole, this book provides an advanced coverage of a wide range of topics related to climate change and agriculture. One might not agree with the emphases given to all the subjects but each is well supported by a good set of references.