Tracie Harrison

Reflection: The Impact of the Environment on Agriculture

Rice consumption has been on the rise since the early 1960’s, Asia alone currently consumes 150-350 million tons, outside Asia in sub-Saharan Africa has had increased by more than 50%. So how will this stable be affected by the climate change happening now?

Rice thrive in wet conditions, however with the rise in sea-level there is a rise in Salinity (salt) that rice is intolerant of and can resolute in decreased production levels. Along with a rise in sea level, flooding due to increase in tropical storms, such as those that hit Bangladesh in 2004, wash out rice fields.

“The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) report Climate Change: Impact on Agriculture and Costs of Adaptation forecasts that by 2050 rice prices will increase between 32 and 37% as a result of climate change. They also show that yield losses in rice could be between 10 and 15%.” (Source: http://irri.org/news/hot-topics/rice-and-climate-change)

One region currently experiencing a lack of water in the United States is California. If you have notice a rise in popular produce prices, such as apples, oranges and lettuce; it is likely due in part to the third year of the worst drought to hit the area since the 1800’s. The central valley of California is responsible for producing 1/3 of the US vegetables, 2/3 of its fruits and nuts, as reported by the US Department of Agriculture. Farmers plan to leave 20% of their land fallow as a result of lack of water. This will impact the price of produce along with a downturn in employment as fewer migrant workers will be needed for harvesting.

(Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/california-farm-drought-crisis-deepens-2014-02-22-16103424 )

Food is a necessity to every individual in every country, and we depend on the environment to provide for us. Our current resources are stretched so thin to be able to accommodate the 7 billion people on our planet. Policy reforms are required to support land management through sustainable natural conservation activities. Without a stable secure government providing for its citizens uprising in violence and rebellion are more likely to occur in “Failing States” resulting in civil wars and economic disaster that affect the global community. Currently the United States provides the most food assistance to help stabilize regions in crisis, yet we are involved in climate crises of our own. We need to re-evaluate how we are using our natural resources and look at our current waste in production. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef and 49 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of apples, one acre of land can produce 40,000 pound of potatoes, or 50,000 of tomatoes, or 250 pounds of beef. (Source: earth save international.)