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Climate change is a vast and abstract concept that has been having alarming effects on most sectors of society, be it industrial, agricultural, healthcare, and more. Usually, when people think of environmental threats like deforestation, global warming, water pollution, etc., people directly associate them with human health and conditions. However, it is important to understand that environmental degradation affects our planet in more ways than one.
Today, in the age of the internet, when people read or hear about the effects of climate change on agriculture, they often find it challenging to connect the dots between the two. Therefore, for your comprehension, we will be assessing how agriculture of every country is directly affected by the diverse effects of climate change. But, before we delve into the agricultural consequences of environmental degradation, let’s gain an insight into the basic definition of climate change and how it carries the capacity to deteriorate the prospects of human lives on every possible front.
What is Climate Change?
In simple terms, climate change is the prolonged alteration of standard weather and temperature patterns; however, human activities, inventions and technologies have a huge role to play in the deteriorating health of the planet. Unfortunately, while countries are receiving accolades for all the technological and economic development, growth, and advancements, people are becoming completely dismissive of factors like carbon emissions and the burning of fossil fuels that slowly contribute to drastic natural shifts like ozone layer depletion and melting glaciers, soil erosion, and more.
Now, since food and water are necessary sources of life, the government ensures that all the agricultural demands of the society are met with quality resources. But, on the other hand, even if the agricultural sector is provided with the best services, electrical equipment, and scientific technologies, some damages cannot be brought under control unless preventive measures are implemented actively and consistently. So now, let’s learn more about how climate change effects the agricultural sector.
6 Major Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture
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Massive degradation and loss of crucial water and soil assets due to an increase in precipitation will continue to pose a challenge for irrigated and rainfed agriculture unless innovative and upgraded methods are taken into consideration.
- As mentioned above, climate change is primarily associated with the sudden temperature fluctuations of the planet, which often leads to natural calamities like drought, floods, heavy rains etc. Therefore, the effects of climate change will negatively impact livestock productivity and crops because critical thresholds are being exceeded on a ground level.
- Fortunately, when it comes to the agricultural sector, many crop productions have conveniently adapted to recent changes in climate. However, effective technologies are required to ensure the rate of adaptation of agriculture that can maintain pace with the effects of climate change in years to come.
- Effects of climate change on agriculture will invariably have consequences on food security across several countries. Extreme surges in food prices and crops have an impact on transportation, food processing, storage, and retailing; however, efficient adaptive measures can effectively reduce and delay some of these impacts.
- On a ground level, the common person has to bear the consequences and effects of climate change on the agricultural Suppose the crop production gets damaged and destroyed again and again at frequent intervals. In that case, farmers have to put in extra effort in order to accelerate their output levels to meet societal demands.
- When this happens, the price of almost all important crops rises like wheat, rice, soyabean, maize, etc. Consequentially, this leads to higher feeds and soaring meat prices; therefore, climate change will automatically decrease the growth in meat consumption which leads to a substantial fall in the consumption of cereals, paving the way for increased food security.
How Climate Change Influences Cost Adaptations
In order to control the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector, several policymakers, researchers, and scientists are diligently working on designing lasting and resilient solutions that enhance productivity to offset the negative impacts of environmental degradation on the well-being of people, especially on malnourished children residing in the rural areas.
Now, to clearly assess the costs of adaptation, it is imperative to understand and identify various agricultural productivity investments that help reduce child malnutrition by aiming at no-climate change levels by holding on to all the constant macro changes like population growth and income. In conclusion, all the studies, research, and analysis’s conducted on a global level suggest the following solutions:
- Consistent and better investments in the agricultural sector to enhance productivity levels.
- Improve dissemination, global data collection and analysis.
- Pay more attention to prestigious agricultural programs conducted on a global level while also conducting regular nation researches to gain better insights
- Extend support to community-based adaptation strategies.
- Make agricultural adaptation a priority when it comes to the international climate negotiation process.
Digitize Agriculture One Step at a Time with Schneider Electric
At Schneider Electric, our end goal is to provide efficient and sustainable electric solutions to all sectors of society. Before designing our products and services, our skilled team of professionals invest quality time in researching and learning about the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector, industrial sector, hospitality sector, and more. We try to utilize our resources to provide reliable and effective solutions that are conducive to lowering the impact of climate change on several fronts.
For instance, we have taken the lead in deploying exceptional IoT technology to transform the farming paradigm. Since there is a need for energy-efficient and responsible irrigation, Schneider Electric has collaborated with WaterForce, a leading name in sustainable water solutions. However, on an individual level, both Schneider Electric and WaterForce offer a range of digital solutions to control the effects of
climate change on agriculture. This innovative collaboration has fetched a variety of results for the agricultural sector like:
- 50% reduction in energy costs
- More effective and efficient water use
- Enabling remote monitoring which saves a significant amount of time that goes into the assessment of assets
- Enhanced visibility of irrigation system status and performance.
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