Farmers in New Hampshire are facing "weather whiplash," a shift from one weather extreme to the next, which is affecting their fields and livelihoods, according to Concord Monitor.
What's happening?
Organic farmer Abigail Clarke of Winter Street Farm in Claremont, New Hampshire, described how an abnormally wet spring, followed by an overly dry summer, created nightmare conditions for her crops in 2024.
"We lost half of our carrots because they rotted in the ground, completely saturated for two months straight," she told Concord Monitor. "Everything came in weeks later than normal. We were spending twice as much time to harvest half as many vegetables."
The publication said this is a common trend, as agriculture becomes more impacted by the effects of a warming world.
Why are warming global temperatures concerning for agriculture?
New Hampshire farmers aren't the only ones facing challenges when it comes to a shifting climate. For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that extreme weather events like heavy precipitation, drought, and heat are likely to become more frequent in the Northwest. This can lead to major losses for farmers and local economies. For instance, the agency says a 2015 drought in Washington cost farmers there an estimated $633 to $733 million.
As farmers face more challenges to bring crops to market, consumers could deal with product shortages or price increases. For instance, olive oil prices soared to new highs in 2024 after extreme weather stifled olive production across the Mediterranean. This resulted in more shoplifting of this popular culinary staple in places like Spain and the U.K.
Such food shortages could impact our nutrition. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people with particular dietary patterns, such as Alaska Natives, will confront shortages of key foods and some may turn to nutrient-poor, calorie-rich foods.
"Some people may also go hungry," the agency added. "The results could range from micronutrient malnutrition to obesity."
What's being done to help farmers cope with new weather extremes?
Clarke told the Concord Monitor that she is focusing on crop diversity to help endure future storms.
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Yes — often 😬 "If we were doing 50 acres of just potatoes or just something else, that tends to be impacted more heavily by the climate factors — too little rain, too much rain, too cold, too hot, weather fluctuations," she told the publication. "We usually assume that one or two of them aren't going to go well … so we depend on others. Maybe it's a year with a drought and we get really good melons."
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She added that increasing pollinator habitat, maintaining wetlands, community composting, and no-till agriculture are other tools she's using to combat weather challenges.
Meanwhile, scientists are trying to make things easier for farmers facing weather extremes. For instance, researchers are working on creating more resilient potatoes that can better cope with weather challenges like drought. Plus, a team of scientists in Japan says getting plants "drunk" on ethanol could help them deal with drought better.
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