About three quarters of Dorset’s land area is used for agriculture. Variations occur every year in harvest. This is due to variations in weather during the growing season. Relatively small changes can make the difference between a large harvest and disaster. Farming practices have to evolve to cope with climate change. A warmer and wetter environment will cause a change in planting and harvesting dates and also cause a change in the variety of crops planted. Hopefully the increased atmospheric CO2 levels will stimulate photosynthesis and in turn increase crop yields. However animal and crop pests and diseases are likely to change and warmer and wetter summers my cause greater fungal and insect attack.