Food securityFarmers try to cope with the challenges posed by extreme weather
Across the country, farmers are reporting that they are at yet another critical juncture for agriculture. Citing more unpredictable and severe weather due to climate change, scientists are researching defensive measures and looking to previous agricultural challenges for inspiration. Some are looking to the way individual farmers and government agencies addressed the Dust Bowl hardships of America during the Great Depression as a source of inspiration.
Across the country, farmers are reporting that they are at yet another critical juncture for agriculture. Citing more unpredictable and severe weather due to climate change, organizations such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are researching defensive measures and looking to previous agricultural challenges for inspiration.
In a recent article for thee Huffington Post, Claire O’Connor, an Agricultural Water Policy analyst for the NRDC, shares some stories from farmers around the country which illustrate the challenges facing agriculture today. Effectively, the theme that runs through their collective story regarding weather is, “We don’t know what normal is anymore.”
O’Connor cites the tragic Dust Bowl hardships of America during the Great Depression as a predecessor to the trials of climate change today. She recounted, “Under the leadership of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers began viewing soil conservation as a key risk management tool…we learned that protecting the soil was paramount to surviving future dry years.”
Citing scientific climate changereports, O’Connor emphasizes that the damage to farms could be just as devastating to entire food systems within the country.
As a solution, one of the best “insurance policies” in her view is to maintain healthy soil. O’Connor writes that “The new ‘normal’ of climate calls for us to redouble our efforts to build healthy soil. NRDC’s ‘Soil Matters’ report describes how we can build farms that are more resilient to climate change by encouraging low risk, water-smart practices that regenerate soil…farmers who adopt proven techniques, like cover cropping, to reduce their crop loss would receive a discount on their crop insurance policies. This could be done under existing law, and could have widespread benefits for farmers, taxpayers, and the environment.”
Ultimately, O’Connor urges readers, government officials, and farmers to act, because “the longer we wait, the harder the job will be,” she closed.
