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Climate disasters are closing in. Why have we forgotten farmers?
Tuesday, 2017/11/21 | 07:56:45
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by Elwyn Grainger-Jones and Martin Kropff Monday, 13 November 2017
Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Do you ever contemplate climate change over your morning cup of coffee?
Probably not. But perhaps it is time that you did.
The tropical storms that recently hit the U.S. and Caribbean in quick and brutal succession have brought the impacts of climate change closer to home for many of us in the developed world. Hurricane Maria decimated Puerto Rico, wiping out nearly 80 percent of the value of the country’s crops. One of these major exports is coffee. A major industry, a lifeline for farmers, and the breakfast staple you may take for granted, swept away.
Storms like Maria, which seem to be fuelled by climate change, and are an indication of the kind of extreme weather events the world will have to contend with in the future. They won’t only devastate homes and cripple countries’ infrastructure, they will have a serious and long term effect on our global food supply.
Many parts of the developing world have been experiencing the brunt of these climate change impacts for decades. With fragile food systems at the mercy of the increasingly erratic weather – they stand to lose a lot more than those of us with the resilience to bounce back. They have fewer options to recover and need urgent help.
In East and Southern Africa for example, consecutive seasons of drought have ravaged crops and livestock, causing food prices and hunger levels to soar. Climate-induced pest outbreaks like the fall armyworm in sub-Saharan Africa may cause up to$3 billion worth of damage to maize crops, and cost hundreds of millions more to address.
A predicted 150 million to two billion people are migrating to escape conflict, poverty, hunger, and extreme weather events. To make matters worse, food production continues to emit greenhouse gases, contributing to the overall change in climate and perpetuating this vicious cycle.
World leaders must surely have seen this coming.
The Paris Climate Agreement in 2015 recognized agriculture as a sector where action is needed, to protect food and farming from the worst climate impacts. A vast majority of countries have formulated ambitious plans to tackle these issues on the ground. Yet two years on the price tag for inaction is climbing into the hundreds of millions.
Only by backing climate action in agriculture can our global food system have a fighting chance. This week’s climate change conference in Bonn - that several US governors will attend in the absence of the Trump administration – will be the ideal time to step this action up. The solutions are out there - farmers, governments, scientists and the private sector are putting them into practice around the world every day.
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