Climate extremes are reducing crop yields with hotter, drier growing seasons posing challenges to farmers worldwide according to a release.
Growing seasons have been getting hotter and drier between the years 1980 to 2009 according to a new study from an international team led by researchers at Aalto University. Wheat farmers have seen changes and the risk of extreme heat and drought has increased sixfold during the growing season over that study period. The doubled risk for maize, rice and soybean farmers.
The research team also looked at the impact of dry and hot conditions on crop yield. The study showed that wheat yields were reduced by about 4% overall, with some areas being much more impacted such as China and Russia. Maize yields saw a 3% decrease under the same conditions, but losses were more intense in North America, Eastern Europe and China.
“As the threat of weather extremes hurting global food production grows, we need to find ways to help farmers adapt to adverse weather conditions, and we also have to reduce the emissions causing these changes in the climate,” said Matias Heino, a postdoctoral researcher and leader of the study.
Full paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29378-2.
