• Question: Will climate change affect the way crops grow ? And will it affect livestock, the ones that produce milk, eggs and meat

    Asked by Lord Voldemort to Stephen, Rehemat, Christopher on 6 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Christopher Nankervis

      Christopher Nankervis answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      Yes. We are currently developing a crops that are adapted to droughts, rice that can grow in salt water (as storms and sea water flood farms), and crops that can tolerate extremes of hot weather conditions. The future food shortages from increased floods and drought will decade our food supply, forcing us to grow more crops and less livestock for meat. Meat produces far more greenhouse gas emissions, uses more land, and provides less nutrition and energy than the same area growing plant crops.

    • Photo: Stephen Twomlow

      Stephen Twomlow answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      The simple answer is yes climate change will change the way we grow crops and animals – but it will depend on which part the world you live in – no one singe answer. Where I work in East and Southern Africa the total amount of rain is not changing in a year, but the start and the end of the rains are becoming less reliable, and we get fewer rain days – but more rain when it does leading to flooding. at the same time temperatures increase and it means some crop plants grow quicker – not so good as if a plant normally requires 120 days to grow, but with climate change it grows in 115 days – that means 5 days less sunshine and so less photosynthesis and yields go down. For animals heat causes stress, reduces their ability to eat and makes them more susceptible to disease. need to improved the housing for all animals so we can reduce temperature and get better ciruclation of air.

    • Photo: Rehemat Bhatia

      Rehemat Bhatia answered on 8 Mar 2018:

      I think the others have covered this well! But in short, yes it will.

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