How does extreme weather affect agricultural production?.

Extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes, can severely disrupt agricultural production. These events lead to reduced crop yields, soil erosion, and damage to infrastructure, ultimately threatening food security globally.

Key Facts

• In 2022, drought affected nearly 1.5 billion people worldwide.
• Flooding in South Asia in 2021 caused damages estimated at $10 billion to agriculture.
• The UN estimates that climate change could reduce global agricultural productivity by up to 30% by 2050.
• Extreme weather events have increased in frequency by 30% since 1980.

Examples or Use Cases

• In the United States, the 2021 drought in the West led to significant declines in wheat and corn production.
• The 2020 typhoon in the Philippines destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice crops.

FAQs

• What types of extreme weather affect agriculture? Droughts, floods, storms, and heatwaves are the primary types.
• How can farmers mitigate the impact of extreme weather? Implementing sustainable practices like crop rotation, irrigation management, and resilient crop varieties can help.