In agriculture, adapting to climate change has become a necessity.

As weather patterns change around the globe, growers are learning to adapt in different ways. Some can afford to partner with scientists and plant experimental trees; others are forced to change their crops. For farmers, transitions to new product designs and operations are costly, and the viability of these transitions is as uncertain as the weather itself.

Video Spotlight: Growers Fighting Climate Change

This post is based on The New York Times article, In a Race Against Warming, Growers Try to Outsmart Climate Change, by M. Cone, September 21, 2019, and the YouTube video, Coffee Growers Combat Climate Change, by GreenTV, May 11, 2012. Image source:  Shutterstock/Valentyn Volkov

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the effects of climate change on agriculture and farmers’ lives?

Guidance: During warmer winters, there have not been enough chilly days for male trees to produce the pollen when female trees need it. Pests and diseases have increased. Extreme, sudden temperature changes have killed mature trees. Extreme heat waves and droughts have decimated crops and cattle. The effects of climate change on farmers’ lives are not negligible either: reduced income, increased Continue reading →