April cold snaps have wreaked havoc in Ukraine, with some farmers recording 100% loss of their fruit crops, according to NikVesti.
What's happening?
A cold snap hit the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine in early April, with temperatures dropping to as low as 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically, April is a mild month in the country, with average temperatures of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The sudden cold caused major damage to the stone fruit crop in the region, including apricot, cherry, and cherry plum. Some farmers in Mykolaiv recorded 100% loss of their crops.
"Fruit trees that were in bloom at the time were severely affected," said Olena Piskun, director of the agriculture department of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. "The flowering was lost and the fruits were almost 100% damaged, according to the data we received from agricultural producers from different territories, from the south and north of our region."
Officials, after the cold snap, estimate that the usual volume of fruit harvested could drop by at least 30%, as reported by NikVesti. Additionally, about 80% of pears were lost, 50% of cherries, peaches, and plums, and 50% of apples that were in bloom in the southern regions of the country.
Why is this cold snap important?
Cold snaps in the spring can have devastating impacts on humans and our environment.
According to Climate.gov, temperatures have risen, on average, 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit each decade since 1950. 2024 was the warmest year on record, as reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Because of these warmer temperatures, rising warm air interacts with lingering winter temperatures, which causes unstable weather patterns, such as the cold snap in Ukraine.
According to Climate Data, cold snaps can "have serious effects on human health, transportation systems, and energy consumption."
Like in the Mykolaiv region, cold snaps can have a damaging effect on agriculture, leading to less food availability. Less food supply can also lead to skyrocketing prices of food. It can also put our health at risk with food insecurity and health problems such as hypothermia, especially if it comes on suddenly in the spring when we aren't prepared.
Other areas of the world have also been affected by cold snaps. In Turkey, an April cold snap caused damage to 80% of the country's apricot production. Apricots and almonds were also affected by dropping temperatures in April in Hungary.
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Definitely 😭 "As weather patterns become more erratic, harvests will continue to dwindle or experience unpredictable supply over the coming years," said food scientist Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, according to Supply Chain Brain.
What's being done about food affected by cold snaps?
Reducing the intensity of cold snaps that affect agricultural crops by transitioning to affordable energy sources, such as solar power, wind power, and heat pumps.
However, while cold snaps are occurring, scientists have been working on unique ways to improve crop supply. For example, recent drone technology has made it easier to study how plants react under drought conditions and other temperature changes. There have also been tests with sensors that can determine if a plant is under stress. Meanwhile, genome editing testing has found ways to boost crops' resilience to changes in climate.
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