INTRODUCTION
Asia is the most populous continent on earth account
ing for 63% of the global population. With the green
revolution, however, Asian farmers account for 67%
of global agricultural productivity. The region is
food self-sufficient. However, will Asian agriculture
nonetheless succumb to future global warming? This
paper examines the temperature sensitivity of Asian
agriculture and forecasts likely outcomes if climates
do warm.
There are four sources of information about
the sensitivity of farms to climate (IPCC 2007;
Mendelsohn and Dinar 2009). 1) Agronomists have
conducted controlled experiments in greenhouses with
different temperatures. 2) Agronomic crop simulations
model key grains such as maize, wheat, soybeans, and
rice. 3) Cross sectional studies of yields of specific
grains have been conducted across different climate
zones. 4) Cross sectional economic models have been