Climate Change Takes its Toll

Seasonal rains and high global temperatures have caused many problems for the agricultural industry this year. Many countries rely on agricultural investments for income to meet global food production demands, making this a hard year for many regions. Food insecurity is an increasing problem throughout the world. Food production has been greatly affected by climate change as both heavy rains and dry fields have taken their toll on agriculture.

Currently, Russia and some of northern Europe are suffering from a severe heat wave. The extreme heat has hit Russia hard, devastating millions of acres of Russian wheat. The black earth region is one of the most fertile lands for grain crops and occupies central Russia. This area has not seen any rain since April, withering 24 million acres of wheat, barley, and other crops. In past years this region has brought in large investments, helping meet production needs for global food demand.

In India, rain has caused a major problem for agricultural as well. Because of the detrimental drought last year, there is a storage shortage for warehouses needed to protect India’s grain and rice from heavy rainfall. The lack of storage has caused state agencies to store crops outside, covering them with plastic sheets. Crops have begun to wash away and spoil, causing India’s food prices to rise. Higher prices are predicted to take away from potential growth to the region, and India is frantically searching for ways to export their rice and grain supply before it is too late.

The food crisis has also spread to Niger, a developing country. Although agriculture production has been affected around the world, developing countries in particular have taken the hardest hit. Many climate changes have affected Niger’s food production, with extreme weather such as high temperatures, heavy rain, droughts, and increasing ocean temperatures all decreasing agriculture potential.

Global climate has largely affected agriculture decreasing food production this year. Although food aid has eliminated some stress in less developed countries, better planning needs to be done in order to protect crops in the future.