Cal Matters. (2023, May 9). Mangoes and agave in the Central Valley: California farmers try new crops to cope with climate change. Retrieved from https://calmatters.org/environment/climate-change/2023/05/california-farmers-climate-change/
The article discusses how climate change is impacting California farmers. The state is already experiencing more extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods, and heat waves. These events are making it difficult for farmers to grow crops and raise livestock. In turn, farmers are diversifying their crops to better withstand the changing conditions and to ensure a consistent yield. This shift highlights the necessity for agricultural resilience strategies while extreme weather conditions are so prevalent in California.
Climate change is causing the state’s climate to become increasingly variable. This means that farmers are not sure what to expect from year to year, which makes it difficult to plan their crops. As a result of climate change California farmers are facing increasing financial challenges. I was impressed by farmers’ innovative and adaptive approach to protecting their crops during this uncertain time. It’s encouraging to witness their proactive response to the challenges posed by shifting climate patterns however seems like a passive approach. I believe instead, farmers and the rest of the general public should focus on preventative efforts such as lowering their carbon emissions. I find it interesting and, at the same time, sad that farmers are forced to spend more money on water, irrigation, and crop insurance for climate change issues that humans have vast influence over. Obviously climate change in this part of California can impact food supplies for everyone since a high percentage of food is grown and processed in the central valley.
This is a very interesting topic, it is related to what we are doing now. Aquaponics are used to farm crops without using soil. Because the draft causes a lack of water and fertilized soil for plants, a solution to this would be using aquaponics.
I wonder what are other ways to help solve this issue?
Thanks for reading! A good starting idea might be tackling the extreme polarization of weather patterns by limiting our carbon emmisions. Lets get in front of the issue before thinking about how to preserve our crops.
This is a really interesting topic! Do you know that if growing these crops in California is sustainable, or could the introduction of more exotic fruits and vegetables may be detrimental in the long term?
Thanks for reading! It is certiantly not sustainble at the rate we are at due to the lack of water in California. As we have learned through the Delta Smelt study, water usage is a huge issue in California while it is not raining.
Climate change has always been a challenge, and it is very interesting to learn about. It can occur at any time and it’s hard to stop considering people have been working on it for a very long time. What do you think are other ways to solve this issue?
Thanks for reading! I think a more sustainble system that recycles this water and utilizes both plants and sun could be a great start.