USDA predicts crop shortfalls without more climate research

By Marc Heller | 07/15/2024 01:38 PM EDT

Without additional research to combat the warming climate, four major crops may not keep up with global demand, a study said.

farmworkers pick sweet corn in a field

Migrant farmworkers picking corn in a field, July 7, 2023, at a farm in Waverly, Ohio. A new report looks at climate impacts on the production of corn, soybeans, rice and wheat. Joshua A. Bickel/AP

Production of four major crops won’t keep up with global demand unless the U.S. and other countries boost research aimed at beating climate change, a government study said.

The report from the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service projects global demand and production of corn, soybeans, rice and wheat in the decades ahead. Research and development, the agency said, will be key to making sure the warming climate doesn’t sacrifice those crops.

“Reduced crop yields diminish agricultural productivity, affecting not only agricultural quantities, but also food prices and ultimately food security,” the authors said. “This challenge arises at a time when increasing incomes contribute to an increased demand for food — especially for meat, where crops are a crucial input for animal feed.”

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The study underscores how the combination of a growing world population and the challenges of farming amid worsening drought, floods and heat waves will put increased stress on agriculture. It also comes as Congress faces increasing pressure to boost research funding in the farm bill an annual appropriations.

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