Climatic changes
Climatic changes have had numerous impacts on the agricultural and food sectors globally. This phenomenon is as a result of the increment in temperature levels, variations on rainfall patterns, alterations in the extreme climatic events and reduction in water supply for agricultural purposes. Due to these aspects, various issues arise, including food availability, reduction in food accessibility and adverse impacts of food quality. As a result of the above matters, agricultural productivity is adversely affected across the world. Therefore, various agricultural and food security issues arise due to climatic changes.
Weather changes have led to the increment of drought in the world. High temperatures which lead to a reduction in the amount of rainfall have recently led to adverse effects of summer drought. This aspect is evident from the United States of America, wherein 2012, severe summer droughts affected the nation mainly in the areas of Mississippi (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2017). As a result of weather changes, the River watershed, a Midwestern agricultural shipment route experienced a shortage of traffic and farming products in the route due to significant economic and food losses (2017). Moreover, this phenomenon was followed by massive floods in Mississippi in 2013 which also interrupted food transportation in the same route and reduction in farmers’ ability to distribute foods in the various markets.
Another significant impact of climatic changes is the increased rates of environmental degradation, which contributes to intensified desertification as well as nutrients deficiency in the soil. This phenomenon arises due to imbalance in soil nutrients and accumulation of salt components which escalates chances of unhealthy, salty, dry and infertile soils (Arora, 2019). The outcomes of this occurrence proceed to increase, making it a global threat. Previous investigations by Global Assessment of Land Degradation and Improvement (GLADA) indicate that a quarter of the worldwide land is already degraded (Arora, 2019). As a result, soil fertility has significantly reduced exacerbating crops productivity. This aspect leads to the abandonment of farmlands, thus severe droughts and famine.
Variations in climatic conditions influence the natural hydrologic system. This aspect is due to the interference of the beneath water levels, their temperatures, water quality in the seas, oceans, lakes and other water masses through the interruption of rainfall patterns, evaporation as well as the soil moisture constituents (Chang‐Gil, n.d). In countries such as the United States of America, the increment in precipitation resulting from the climatic changes contributes to the increased outflow of water from the surface levels. Temperatures increment leads to the escalation of the rate of evaporation, and this phenomenon results in the reduction of outflow (Chang‐Gil, n.d). As a result of the interference of the water sources due to climatic changes, rainfall patterns are significantly interrupted, leading to reduced agricultural outcomes and low food production.
Changes in the climatic conditions influence various crop diseases as well as the crop parasites. This aspect is due to the availability of conducive environments which enable living things like the weed, fungi and others pests to increase at an alarming rate. Additionally, due to the climatic changes, new plant diseases and parasites, which significantly destroy crops emerge. For example, the new fungal infections and virulent mutant strains of wheat rust which did not exist in the previous five decades have now emerged posing a significant threat to food and agricultural production (Renee, 2018). Moreover, this phenomenon has spread to various continents such as Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom, among others (Renee, 2018). These factors ultimately interfere with farming activities and agricultural production