How does climate change affect agriculture?
I’ll answer the specific question and you see if the references support it. CO2 increases plant growth if all other factors that affect grow are present in the proper amounts (water, nutrients, warm enough but not too hot). If precipitation patterns change, water could become an issue. Not just the lack of water, but is it arriving at the correct times. Farmers can control this somewhat though irrigation and crop selection, but it cost money. Longer growing season may help if temperatures do not vary widely. Insects, plant diseases, and weeds may become a bigger problem, requiring more money to control. If it is too hot, plant growth stops, but plant selection is key to control for this. Also, livestock generally tends to loose more weight in long hot spells. It is very difficult to estimate what will happen with our ecosystems and agricultural capabilities because these systems are typically very resistant to change (they are able to adjust to shocks like climate change – i.e. , they
We farm and I can tell you the increase in Co2 makes plants flourish. Yields/acre have increased. If there were climate change, which has been shown to be an inconvenient untruth, it would mean some plants would now grow further north and some would grow further south. Plants genetics are so far ahead of the climate game. It would take a major catastrophe like blocking out the sun for crop yield to change. They have drought tolerant, mold tolerant, insect resistant, you name it. You can have almost anything bred into seeds. Think about it, they removed a gene from beans so you can spray weedkiller on a field and it will kill the weeds but not the crop. Saves billions in time spent on cultivating, which in turn helps with erosion, saves billions in crop loss through weed and insect control. Before we have to worry about how any change will affect our crops, science will have genetics to thwart the problem. Try Monsanto for information.
Climate change is leading to a reduction of farmland available, certainly in NE Scotland, as almost every farmer is scrambling to get every piece of viable land under a wind turbine. Whole villages are being dominated by huge turbines as the public money bonanza rolls on, and farmers are being made millionaires overnight in the windfarm lottery. Carpetbaggers now roam country villages, hamlets and rural areas trying to find scraps of land to get a turbine on….. So it’s win win for the farmer…..
Climate Change is a global scam! The climate has changed for centuries. The greatest affect to agriculture, freight, small business and supply chains is Carbon Tax. In Australia- Government’s agenda is to destroy agriculture and increase imports. Already at Woolworths we get Philippine Banana’s & Vietnamese Prawns. However Carbon Tax isn’t working, because no one can make Base-load Renewable Energy to offset Carbon Credits. The race is on!
