Crops around the world are failing or under-producing due to extreme weather events this year.
Here are just a few examples:
- 🌡️ Heatwaves could cut Spanish olive oil production by a third
- 🌽 Two-thirds of the soil in breadbasket US states like Iowa are either ‘short’ or ‘very short’ of their expected moisture levels, and
- 🍚 India has implemented a partial ban on its rice exports after droughts and floods damaged rice fields in recent years.
And all those production pressures come as two of the world’s largest grain producers are locked in war.
Intrigue’s take: Farmers are an adaptive breed. Throughout history, they’ve introduced new tactics from selective breeding to drip irrigation. And they’ll adapt to climate change, too, using AI to predict crop success, vertical agriculture to maximise output, and beyond.
But these adaptations will take time. And in the meantime, food doesn’t look like it’s getting any cheaper.
Also worth noting:
- The El Niño weather pattern, which by most measures returned in June, could severely alter global agriculture over the next year.
- Some have criticised vertical farming for its high electricity usage.
