Contributed Post
You might currently think that climate change isn’t that big a deal. After all, it might mean our summers get even hotter and we don’t have to worry about so much snow through the winter, right? Wrong! In actual fact, many scientists who research the climate are now suggesting that our weather could be getting more and more extreme each year – that means that summer will become unbearably hot while our winters will bring even more ice and snow. That’s not all, though – many experts are warning that a change in our usual clients will have an adverse effect on our food production. Eventually, it could lead to food shortages around the world.
How so? Here are the things you need to know.
Some Crops Can’t Grow In Hot Weather
Sure, crops need nice, warm weather to grow well. However, when the temperatures start to rise too much, many farmers find that certain crops struggle to grow. This will result in a reduced yield, so there is less of the specific crop to sell. As a result, prices will grow up and food will become very expensive. Some food prices fluctuate naturally, as you can see from this cashew market report, but a change in the climate can cause artificial hikes in the price. So, even if hot temperatures don’t completely wipe out certain crops, they will quickly become very expensive indeed.
Flooding Reduces Farmland In Some Areas
In some regions around the world, they are experiencing an excessive amount of rainfall because of the changing climate. Unfortunately, all of this rain is leading to flooding. This is bad news for farmers in those areas as they are finding it increasingly difficult to protect their farmland. The flood reduces the areas in which they can plant crops or turn out livestock, and eventually they are unable to produce enough food to meet with the growing demand.
Extreme Weather Makes Crop Yield Unreliable
When there is more extreme weather, such as storms, tornadoes, and flooding, the production of crops becomes very unpredictable. Because of all these weather events, it can be difficult for farmers to offer the steady supply that they have always been able to. Food supplies can drop off for a few weeks or months, and many farmers will find that they can’t match the demand because of the change in the usual weather.
Crops Can’t Grow During Droughts
It’s not just flooding and excess rain that is ruining the yield of some crops – in some areas, farmers are suffering from the totally opposite problem and the lack of rain is spoiling their annual crops. There is no way anything can grow when there is a severe lack of water in the environment. Unfortunately, as temperatures in some regions continue to rise, this is becoming a very real issue that most farmers are struggling to deal with.
Unfortunately, the situation with climate change and food shortages are only going to get worse if we don’t act now to do something to change it.
