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Record Temperatures Challenge Agriculture Industry Amidst Ongoing Climate Change

Climate and Weather

Agriculture, warmest, South Asia, Mexico, crop damage

Business Honor
25 October, 2024

Farming sectors face unprecedented challenges as global temperatures rise, impacting crop yields and practices.

As global temperatures soar to alarming levels, the agriculture sector is some of the most affected areas set by extreme weather and climate change. Studies have indicated that April 2024 was at all-time high with the mean surface air temperature of 15.03°C, encouraged by the El Niño event and enhanced through greenhouse gases. This protracted heatwave, now into its eleventh month, poses threats to agricultural output in several different regions.

Some of the countries affected are in South Asia, that is, India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. In these countries, temperatures of 44°C have been reported, contributing to much damage to crop growth and yields. Even in light of advisories issued by the India Meteorological Department, farmers find it difficult to save the yield. The same situation is seen in Mexico, where a record temperature of 51.1°C was reported, casting doubts over whether key crops maize and beans will be viable.

Precipitation variability from these extreme temperatures adds to the destructive effects. Some regions face drought while others receive heavy flooding resulting from intense rainfalls. For instance, southern Brazil and eastern Australia recorded wet conditions beyond the norm. Such conditions have resulted in the destruction of crops and made production expensive.

Experts have appealed to farmers to adopt shifts in their practice as a means of adaptation to climate change. They utilized heat-resistant varieties of crops, changes in planting schedules, and harvesting some through water conservation techniques. Innovative solutions are integral, according to agricultural experts, to food security worldwide amid a warming planet.

Such unprecedented challenges will, therefore, demand a collaboration between governments, researchers, and farmers in the agriculture sector in coming up with effective resilience strategies. There has never before been such an urgent need for sustainable practice, a result of the growing world population and its greater food demands.