Climate Change and Farming The real relationship

Climate change is often in close association with farming. But have you ever wondered exactly what relationship climate change has with Farming?

Well, the answer to that question is not that simple as farming is broad, region specific and holds different benefits to different people. In fact, balancing the need for people to eat and the effect of climate change has not been a clear line.

For instance, it is expected that the consequences of global climate change on agricultural production will be minimal to modest. Regional effects, however, may have a big impact in many parts of the world.

Agricultural yields and productivity changes will differ greatly across different regions. The world’s grain productivity will probably slightly decline overall because of these variances in gains and losses.

However, it is known that agricultural facilities contribute approximately a large percentage to the annual increase to global warming through carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide gas with the livestock industry being the main culprit. In fact, the global food system is responsible for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions.

Another way to look at it is through ecosystems. Ecosystems are managed via agricultural systems. To comprehend and estimate the consequences of climate change on production and food supply, it is essential to consider human response.

Agriculture is a dynamic system, and producers and consumers constantly react to shifts in crop and livestock yields, food prices, input prices, resource availability, and technology advancement.

In other words, does food demand have to decrease?

Well, that’s far fetched as food insecurity is prevalent in the world. Therefore, when we ask ourselves the relationship between farming and climate change, we must inherently ask ourselves about the relationship between food security and climate change.

However, that relationship too is not clear cut as crop failure (i.e., less food is produced), especially in the world’s most food-insecure regions, will push more people into poverty. Ironically, the crop failure is caused by climate change.

But is there a silver lining?

According to a growing body of work around the issue, major social, economic, and technological changes are required for not only the relationship between climate change and farming to be understood and/or food security but to mitigate the effects of this turbulent, not so straightforward relationship.

Masiziba Hadebe

The diversity of life on Earth is essential to the health of our planet and to our wellbeing as human beings. But nature is under pressure as never before. Our needs for food, water and land, and our demands for energy and more and more stuff are destroying habitats, polluting our air and water, and driving species of animals and plants to extinction. We are now losing biodiversity up to ten thousand times faster than it was disappearing 100 years ago.

Climate change is defined as shifts in the earth’s climate driven by human activities. We are already living the devastating impacts of global warming.

As the planet warms, extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts become more frequent and intense. Unfortunately, those who have contributed the least to climate change are affected the most. Without immediate action, the climate crisis could lead to widespread poverty, hunger and migration.

The African continent will be hit the hardest by climate change, despite contributing only 4% to global carbon emissions. This vulnerability is driven by high levels of poverty across the continent leaving many without the resources to buffer themselves and recover from the changing climate.

Global warming, rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather events are already increasing threats to human health, food and water security, and economic development across the continent. Most temperatures across Africa have already risen by 1 degree Celsius.

HOW DO WE MANAGE CLIMATE CHANGE?

Some of the ways we can Stop Global Warming

• Solar: Because solar is the most sustainable and affordable way to deliver access to electricity to the 2 billion people in today’s world who are living off grid or lack reliable access to electricity.

• Change a light: Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

• Drive less. ...

• Recycle more. ...

• Check your tires. ...

• Use less hot water. ...

• Avoid products with a lot of packaging. ...

• Adjust your thermostat. ...

• Plant a tree.

Ms. Rogini Govender

Chartered Public Relations Practioner (CPRP) Marketing and Communications Officer