October 27, 2015
2015 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine
LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM Page 47
the weather, including hotter, drier summers,
this fungus will have more favorable
conditions to gain a foothold in soybean and
other crops.”
Other possible impacts, both positive and
negative, have been noted by the Climate
Institute. They state that “climate change
could result in a variety of impacts on
agriculture,” with possible effects including:
• A shift in climate and agricultural zones
towards the poles.
• Changes in production patterns due to higher
temperatures.
• A boost in agricultural productivity due to
increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• Changing precipitation patterns.
• Increased vulnerability of the landless and
the poor.
Food production and crop yields could also
be adversely affected by climate changes such
as droughts or heavy rainfall. A report by the
Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations explains that, “Under the IPCC
emissions scenarios, higher temperatures
are projected to affect all aspects of the
hydrological cycle. More frequent and severe
droughts and floods are already apparent, and
their impact increases as a growing population
becomes more dependent upon a set of
atmospheric andhydrological circulations.”
The FAOUN further believes that, “Climate
change will impact the extent and productivity
of both irrigated and rainfed agriculture across
the globe.”
As Chris Miller said, “Weather is highly
variable and very local. Just because we are
not experiencing major impacts of a changing
climate, does not mean it is not impacting
other parts of the world.” He also says, “it
is prudent to at least plan for ‘worst case’
scenarios. It doesn’t mean they will absolutely
occur, it just means that we can be prepared
for a potentially uncertain future. Finally, we
ALL benefit from being “stewards” of our
planet by improving the air we breathe, the
fresh water we need to survive, and the soils to
grow our food.”
Story by Angela Reiners
See more at:
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November-2013/#sthash.0jfKmXd8.dpuf
