Farmers Face Extreme Heat Waves
Almost 690 million people, or 8.9 percent of the world’s population, are malnourished, according to a 2020 report, an increase of nearly 60 million in just five years. Given that the world will need to produce roughly 70% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people, the problem of ensuring food security will only worsen.
The extreme vulnerability of agriculture to climate change exacerbates the challenge. The adverse effects of climate change are something the farmers are already experiencing; these include rising temperatures, more frequent extreme weather events, shifting boundaries between agroecosystems, invasive crops and pests, and weather variability. Climate change negatively impacts farm productivity, major cereal nutritional quality, and crop yields. Significant adaptation investments will be needing to maintain current gains and increase production and food quality to meet demand.
Heatwave Impact on Farmers
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, about two-thirds of Kansas is experiencing severe, extreme, or exceptional drought, and roughly half of Missouri and Nebraska are under similar conditions.
“We can stay up as long as we have irrigation,” said Jay Reiners, a farmer west of Hastings, Nebraska. Nonetheless, he states that “irrigation is to supplement Mother Nature, not replace Mother Nature.” “I get really nervous about it.”
Following last summer’s catastrophic drought that affect 60% of the Great Plains, severe dry weather is experience this year. Reiners farms 3,000 acres, most of which are growing through irrigation, but he also has some dryland crops, including soybeans and corn, that are “hanging on” but will “go backwards really fast” if additional rain doesn’t come soon.
He said that we’re beginning to feel the consequences of the two years in a row of drought, adding that we haven’t received much rain—just a few inches since May of this year.
Experts in the field believe that recent July rains in a large portion of the Midwest arrived just in time to help many crops recuperate from weather forecasters had predicted to strike a record blow to grain harvests.
The National Weather Service reports that intense heat is still plaguing much of the southern part of the country, with heat indexes in some areas of California, Texas, and Louisiana approaching 120 degrees. Severe showers and thunderstorms are the prediction for parts of the Midwest in the coming days.
According to experts, manufacturers are at a loss for ways to reduce danger due to the extended high temperatures. They can provide more shade for their animals or enhance irrigation, but much of this depends on the geographical location and developmental stage of the crops and cattle.
Climate-resilient Farming
The prospects for global food security will depend on how resilient and adaptable agricultural systems are to climate change. Crop variability may induce, animal productivity can increase, monitoring of insect pests and animal diseases, and information to create forecast models can be obtain using nuclear techniques.
