The Potential for Future Crop Loss
On the subject of potential crop loss there are several variables, which influence drought and plant disease resulting in a loss of crops.
The first variable is that of drought. Drought is a result of shifting weather patterns, which changes the amount of precipitation an area receives. There are three major causes of drought, deficient and unfavorably distributed precipitation, excess heat and warm winds (Nemanishen, 1998, p.35). Historically the grasslands of North America have had a highly varied climate with years of drought immediately followed by years of sufficient precipitation. For example, in the area of the Palliser Triangle in the grasslands of Canada, wheat crop loss has been seen
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Krick identified twelve major North American weather patters which paved the way for long term weather forecasts that are now used universally in farming and crop production (Nemanishen, 1998, p.27). It is understood that migratory cold blows bring moisture to the Great Plains and grasslands it is important to track these cold blows in order to identify wet and drought seasons. Also understood is the effect humans have on the weather patterns. At least two of the past three major droughts have coincided with changes in the general circulation of the atmosphere over the northern hemisphere (Borchert, 1971, p.7). It is undeniable that human use of land has modified atmospheric moisture patterns. Also effecting moisture patterns is solar radiation. For example, in years with high volcanic activity solar radiation was lower because the atmosphere was not as transparent. Higher solar radiation results in less precipitation due to excess heat resulting in drought (Nemanishen, 1998, p.36). It is difficult to deny that drought occurs rhythmically, however, on account of the great randomness of weather we are only able to forecast when the next drought may be and gauge its severity depending on what is known about the previous years.
Another variable resulting in crop loss is that of plant disease, and more specifically late blight. Late blight is caused by the plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans
There are also many risks and disadvantages of agriculture. Whenever these disadvantages come into effect, the consequences could be major. In some cases, things can get as bad as the potato famine. Farmers are always reliant on the crops for their source of food. Many factors could interfere with the production of food such as a natural disaster, weather, soil erosion, and the timing and season when to plant crops. If one factor occurred, it could possibly fatally ruin many of the crops which would make many starve. In agricultural
When I am writing this essay, Jiangsu province is suffering from the most serious drought from last 50 years. Suzhou, a city should have been rainy. But I almost have not seen rain since I come to Suzhou. “Climate changes caused by human activities, most importantly the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) and deforestation, are superimposed on, and to some extent masked by, natural fluctuations.”(Hamburg, S. et al, 1997) Due to these violent human activities, those kinds of extreme phenomena are becoming much more popular than before. Human burning countless fossil fuels recklessly lead to too
The main industry is the agricultural sector which completely depends on the climate. There are strong linkages between poverty and environmental degradation, particularly poor water management, soil erosion, declining soil fertility and land degradation. In addition, the effects of climate change are undermining an already fragile resource base and have contributed to declining agricultural yields over the past decades. In recent years, drought has become a perennial problem in parts of Kenya. Episodes in 2009 and 2011 generated food emergencies, while flooding in 2010 affected parts of the country severely.
The program of study i chose is Agriscience. Agriscience is the application of science to agriculture. It will involve studying animals and farming techniques. Agriscience relates to small animals and large animals and eventually veterinary science. Eventually if i take my freshman year Agriscience and then the my sophomore year small animal and then junior year large than i will eventually take veterinarian science that will put me on the path to be a veterinarian. Agriscience will also give me the opportunity to work with animals and learn how to take care of them and treat their illness with medical science. Agriscience is designed for you to be able to test and see how you like the veterinarian and animal science. In Agriscience i will learn about many ways to use agriscience. Crop rotation and how to improve crops are some examples of things i
In the late 19th century, many factors affected agriculture in the United States as small farms transitioned to large farms. Technology, government policy, and economic conditions greatly influenced the way agriculture functioned in America. Farmers were exposed to advanced agricultural machinery and suffered from poor economic conditions due to a lack of government intervention. As production of crops increased thanks to the advancements in agriculture and processing, the prices of food dropped, leading to the eventual downfall of American farmers. In addition, the government was rooting for the success of the national economy, even if that meant choosing to neglect the struggling farmers and workers that made that success possible.
Lower return crops such as corn, wheat, cotton and rice will bear the brunt of this whereas the higher return crops such as nuts, citrus and vine crops will be least affected (Kowalski, 2015).
Samenow (2015) argues that climate change is best regarded as as a drought amplifier rather than the source of the drought itself. He provides instances showing links between drought and climate change. One is that the atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas, have risen about 25 percent since 1958. Heat-trapping gases, like carbon dioxide, act like a performance-enhancer when it comes to warm weather extreme, because they considerably intensify the probability for setting new records for hot
Rain played a crucial part when taking care of the fields. The loss of rain changed the rich, abundant prairie soil into dust. Without the land being able to produce goods, this led to farmers going bankrupt.
Added to the financial risk of farming, already gambling on soil and weather and crops.
Drought, like a destructing earthquake or flood, is a natural disaster. Drought is an insidious hazard to nature. It results from a deficiency of precipitation over a long period of time over an area. Precipitation is any kind of moisture like rain, snow, and sleet. One can determine how malicious a drought can be by the amount of precipitation, and how long it is (Gleick, 2006).
Changes in global weather patterns has resulted in more crop failures and sharply higher
Agriculture was the most important economic activity in America from the founding of Virginia in 1607 to about 1890. Although farming declined rapidly in relative economic importance in the twentieth century, U.S. agriculture continued to be the most efficient and productive in the world. Its success rested on abundant fertile soil, a moderate climate, the ease of private land ownership, growing markets for farm produce at home and abroad, and the application of science and technology to farm operations.
Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.
Over the years there has been a lot of controversy on if climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed and solved. There is a constant debate among scientist on if human actions are contributing the changing of earth’s climates. Climate change is defined as the change in average weather patterns for a specific region or Earth as a whole. This could include the change in an average temperature for a city or the amount a rainfall it receives (Dunbar, 2015). The main difference between weather and climate is the period of time specific patterns are recorded. Weather patterns are looked at over a much shorter period of time, meaning that these patterns are going to be more sporadic and change more frequently. Climate on the other had is recorded over a much longer period of time and usually show less drastic changes in patterns when compared to weather. Some people may argue that climate change is not an issue because Earth’s temperature is always changing do to natural effects. What people don’t realize is that human activity has effected the rate that earth’s temperature is changing, and just the smallest changes can lead to drastic consequences (Dunbar, 2015).
Unavoidable losses happen and farming can be a risky industry because of natural disasters such as; Tornadoes, hurricanes, frost, earthquakes, and other catastrophes