According to International Food and Agriculture Organization, by 2050 the food prices in the world will increase 29%, because of climate change. The demand for the food accelerates, yet the low production of food fluctuate prices in the market, making the poor poorer.
Climate Change has a worst impact on the flora and fauna. From a heavy rainfall to droughts, heat waves to rapid melting of glaciers and the huge floods that wiped out everything on their way, all are the consequences of climate change.
Impacts of Climate Change on Global Food Production
1) Extreme Heat
Food production is one sector, hugely impacted by the climate change. Extreme heat from sun and heat emitted by industrial and other anthropogenic activities warms our globe, making our water reservoirs dry, so less availability of water for crops. Sometimes, heat directly affect crops, reduced their size and growth.
The previous years have been recorded as the hottest in our history. According to European Unions Copernicus Climate Change Service, the warmest years in the history were the previous eight years, and 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded. Extreme heat alters photosynthesis patterns in crops and flowers can't develop proper pollens, the bees will not get their desired food, resulting lower crops yield as their colonies reduced.
Also heat waves and heavy windstorm alters farmlands into desert, eroding the soil and left the land less fertile. The agricultural lands of Iran, Iraq and Egypt are heavily affected by the heatwaves, causing desertification there.
2) Melting of Glaciers
Melting of glaciers can severely affect the food chain. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), by 2035, many of the Himalayan Glaciers will disappear. The glacial lakes that formed by the rapid melting of glacier, suddenly burst and could cause severe damage to the town and to their yields. According to GLOFF II, Pakistan has a total of 3,044 glacial lakes which can burst anytime.
In the Arctic regions, changes in snow cover and ice sheets have threatened the availability of the food for the locals there. The climate change has altered hunting and fishing pattern there, moreover the native feels a great threat for their culture, which they cant preserve anymore.
The rapid melting glaciers wiped out all the nutrients along with to the seas, where it causes a large number of algal blooms, leaving the sea bedded plants less of oxygen, those plants eventually die and so do all the species dependent on them, this effect is known as eutrophication.
3) Heavy Monsoon
The heavy Monsoon cause floods every year in Pakistan. The recent floods has a devastating affect on the country's production of food. The floods wipe out everything on their way, ravaged the crops, fruits and vegetables in all provinces of the country. According to some articles available on the internet, Pakistan has a loss of 4 million acre of farmland and the stagnant flood water makes it difficult for the farmers to sown new seeds.
Those invested on the staple crops also lost their money because of the havoc caused by the floods to the ripen yields. Pakistan is an agrarian country, most of the population makes a living from it, It left the poor in worst situation to not be able to earn their daily bread and butter, pushing a large number of population below the poverty line. The country is already struggling to provide basic necessities to their people, and this disaster left the country with no budget, the non availability of compensation for the affected persons put a country in defaulted list.
India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar are other Asian countries hugely affected by monsoon fall. Monsoon rain is a blessing for all south Asian and south east Asian countries, the monsoon fills the aquifer making water available for the rest of the year, for agricultural needs. the climate change has altered the monsoon pattern and currently these countries received more rains then expected, and this rain in shape of flood destroys everything on its way.
4) Droughts
Drought is just another big problem caused by climate change. Drought means serious water shortage for a very long period of time, and it is caused due to lack of rainfall. The middle east, central and southern African and central Asian countries, hugely face water shortages, from drinking to the use of agricultural purposes, there is no any other source of water available. Rich nations like Saudi Arabia and UAE can overcome this problem by using advance technology like artificial raining techniques, better known as cloud seeding.
Droughts cause food shortage, and it is consider as the big driver of food insecurity. It results in agricultural loses and the agricultural land get barren, losing all of its nutrients due to long term exposure to wind and heat, affects the quality and productivity of crops and livestock. Some research articles indicates that there is a rise in global hunger because of severe droughts.
Alternatives for Pakistan
Pakistan is located on South Asia and is blessed with many natural resources. From having world's largest mountainous peaks to the world's largest reservoirs of glaciers, sometimes Pakistan called as the third pole. Glaciers are a true blessing for the countries with agriculture based economy. According to some researchers, Pakistan has a total number of 7,200 glaciers. The temperature rise due to climate change melt them faster and the water flow into the sea. Sometimes along with monsoon cause the heavy flooding across the country.
Pakistan has made its first climate change policy in 2012 and since then the country has tried to overcome the burden of climate change. The country's climate policy is fully focused on the mitigation and adaptation techniques to overcome the affects of global warming.
1) Upgradation of canal system
2) Building of small dams
Pakistan has already many water reservoirs including 3 large Dams, 75 small dams and 19 barrages to fulfill the water needs. Also the building of another big dam Diemer Basha dam and Mohamand dam is on full swing. These dams will also help in electricity production and fulfilling the water needed for agriculture etc. These dams will also help in resisting the floods, making the affects of flood less for the people.
3) Agricultural Practices
4) On Site Laboratory
To increase the food production, there should be a laboratory, where the experts check varieties of wheat from different countries. The best wheat should be distributed among the farmers, this can revolutionize our country's agriculture sector.
5) Mechanization
The whole agricultural practices should be mechanized with advanced machines to check the quality and quantity of water, to check the state of crops and to check the availability of nutrients in soil. The satellite based technologies and sensors in agricultural land can help us getting good quality crops.
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