Climate change worries farmers Around the world, farmers are becoming increasingly worried by the uncontrolled growth of greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global warming. All the experts agree that these circumstances seriously threaten the security of the world’s food supply. Agriculture is extremely sensitive to climate change. Higher tempera- tures reduce crop yields while caus- ing weeds and parasites to prolifer- ate. Changes in precipitation trends increase the probability of poor har- vests in the short term and lower pro- duction in the long term. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a variation of 1 to 2 degrees Celsius leads to a rela- tive increase in yields, alleviates limits caused by cold temperatures, and con- tributes to the seasonal increase of heat stress in livestock. A variation of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius leads to moderate production losses of pigs and confined cattle, and a reduction in crop yields at low latitudes. With a variation rea- ching 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, grain corn and wheat yields fall consider- ably. Agriculture must therefore adapt to the threat of climate change. This can be seen, for example, in the world’s vineyards, where changes in temperature and shifting seasons are making costly adjustments necessary. According to researchers, concern is also growing in California, often refer- red to as the “fruit basket” of North America, where a $43 billion produce industry is in peril. Ofcourse,agriculturesharesalargepart of the responsibility for the chang- es observed. The International Food Policy Research Institute has, in fact, stated that 10 to 14 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions originate in the agri- cultural sector. This includes methane (from ruminant livestock and rice fields), nitrous oxide (from the trans- formation of nitrogen products, min- eral, and organic fertilizers), and carbon dioxide.
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