Scalding heat has caused one popular fruit to fail, and more could follow.
What's happening?
The Fresno Bee reported that California's Fresno and Tulare counties saw triple-digit temperatures last summer, and this summer, local cherry farmers could pay the price.
Farmers across the valley are reporting lower-than-usual harvests for cherries, and the sweltering heat appears to be to blame.
Extreme weather — both hot and cold — can stress a tree and impact its ability to produce fruit. Stressed trees will prioritize survival and conserve resources by producing leaves rather than fruit-growing buds, Raymond Mireles, a University of California fruit and almond advisor for Fresno and Tulare counties, explained in the report.
"This has never happened to us," farmer Joe Del Bosque told The Fresno Bee. "The last few years we have had tremendous crops, and this year almost nothing."
Some farmers were lucky enough to harvest cherries — albeit a smaller amount than normal — while others were left with nothing.
Why is crop failure concerning?
Fresno farmers aren't the first to lose their crops, and if the planet continues to heat up, they won't be the last. Rising global temperatures are supercharging extreme weather events, making them become more severe and frequent.
A long drought has cost corn farmers in North Carolina hundreds of millions of dollars in crops, and heat waves in India are drastically raising the prices of staple vegetables. Meanwhile, a sudden cold snap has wiped out fruit across Ukraine, and heavy rainfall in Spain is making pollination near impossible.
According to the World Resources Institute, "without adaptation, global crop yields will likely decline by at least 5% by 2050, with steeper declines by 2100."
While 5% may seem insignificant, that's millions of mouths that will go hungry.
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As farmers across the globe experience extreme weather, researchers are studying how a changing climate affects agriculture.
Certain plants may be impossible to grow under the land's conditions, and farmers may need to switch to different crops to make up for the loss. This could result in seeing much less of your favorite fruit or vegetable in the store.
Sustainable agriculture is more than just adapting to the effects of climate change — it involves reducing food waste, improving water management, and reducing air and soil pollution.
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