Global warming – impact of climate change on global agriculture
(Last in a Series) Our efforts to mitigate the effects of
climate change, urgent as they are, will have little effect over
the next 50 years. Changes during this period have already been
set in motion by past greenhouse gas emissions. Limiting
greenhouse gas emissions will only affect climate change in the
long-term (beyond 50 years). So we must learn to adapt to the
changes in climate that will occur over the next 50 years. In
the previous article we listed several estimated changes we may
expect to see in the Midwest and possible impacts on Midwest
agriculture. In this article we will examine the rest of the
world. We will identify expected changes in major agricultural
regions around the world. Suitability for rainfed agriculture It
takes large amounts of water to produce grain. But suitable soil
and terrain also are necessary for successful agricultural
production. Let’s take a look at regions of the world that have
a “high suitability for ra