How might agriculture be affected by global warming?

Answer 1

Agriculture already has been affected by global warming. The growing season in certain northern states has increased by 17 days (on average) since the middle of the 19th century. Crops have been shifting to higher latitudes. Some crop species will have to adapt to lower angles of sun light.

For more southern latitudes, we may need to design better drought reistant crops. Agave will possibly become a more common crop in the southern US, sparking a boom in tequila production.

Answer 2

A:Agriculture is both affected by and influencing global warming.

• Large areas of vegetation cleared for agriculture have released large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
• Global warming has also resulted in shifting climate patterns which make it harder to predict when to sow, harvest and what to sow.

A:Since 1934 the temperature of the planet has seen a debatable shift in temperature of about 0.2 degrees. This shift in temperature is too minimal to be of any real impact on the overall food production currently. Advances in seed development which make plants far more resistant to any minor weather patterns are far exceeding the changes we are seeing in weather.

Climate changes over the past several thousand years though is a far different matter. The 11 degrees of warming we have seen the past 10,000 years has caused areas once covered in glaciers to be tillable land again.

Land production in Greenland that was lost in the last advancing glaciers of the 1400's may one day become visible again, making that land workable once more.

Answer 3

Agriculture contributes to global warming by the release of methane from decaying plant materials left in the fields and from the flatulence of the animals raised for meat, leather, wool, etc. On the flip side, agriculture removes CO2 from the air as the plants absorb it and release O2 back to the atmosphere.

Answer 4

It is difficult to predict the future, but in 2001 the IPPC issued a Report: Climate Change 2001: Working Group II: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability (See the link below).

Here are some of the suggested impacts:

• Climate change will affect crop yields and irrigation demands.
• Water Resources will be affected: water supply, quality and competition for water.
• Moderately warmer weather and increased CO2 in the atmosphere may help some crop growth (up 30% in the case of rice, soy and wheat), but with increased temperatures the grain yield drops 10% for every 1˚C rise above 26˚C.
• Agricultural areas may suffer erosion from increased wind and water from short term changes in weather.
• The growth of agricultural pests (weeds, insects and pathogens) under climate change is being studied with varying results. For example, higher temperatures increase the severity of rice leaf blast epidemics in cool subtropical zones, but in warm humid subtropics higher temperatures lower the severity of the epidemics.
• Farm animals are affected by warmer temperatures, influencing their performances in growth, milk and wool production, reproduction, health and well-being.
• Increased temperatures may lead to increased demand for water from agriculture and wildlife, including farm livestock. It may also lead to reduced water availability.
• Adaption costs for agriculture, including retraining farmers for new practices, as well as the provision of new irrigation may be considerable.
• The cost of basic food will rise, especially with temperature rises of more than 2.5˚C, as agriculture will not be able to absorb increased costs.
• "Africa is projected to experience marked reductions in yield, decreases in production, and increases in the risk of hunger as a result of climate change."

-More rain, followed by longer and drier droughts, which will challenge the growth of crops.

It depends in which part. In some places it will make rain less reliable, or too much will fall. Also, some agriculture will be possible at higher latitudes where the climate is not currently favorable. Contrary to popular wishful thinking, increasing CO2 generally isn't useful to agriculture because most vegetation isn't CO2-limited.

See the related questions below.

Answer 5

Global warming can lead to changes in temperature and precipitation patterns which can impact crop yields, pest and disease prevalence, and water availability for irrigation. Extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, can also disrupt agricultural production. These factors can all contribute to food insecurity and decreased agricultural productivity.