Excessive rainfall has diminished upstate New York farmers' crop yields, according to RiverReporter.com.

What's happening?

As rain drowns their crops, farmers in the Catskills worry about their livelihoods. Over the past 20 years, annual rainfall has increased by over 25 inches.

Kendra Payne, an herbal farmer and tea shop owner, told Radio Catskill that the lack of adequate sunlight has damaged her hibiscus and tulsi plants, both of which can die in rainy conditions.

Payne was due to receive a federal grant to help her build a better irrigation system, but those funds have since been frozen. Many American farmers have been left to contend with the growing problem on their own.

Maria Grimaldi, a garden and permaculture consultant, hosted water management clinics to help people cope with the challenges. She told Radio Catskill: "We're all agreeing this [rain] is not gonna go away. It's going to possibly become worse."

Why is the Catskills' excessive rain important?

The Catskills' irregular weather patterns are indicative of a larger global shift.

According to NASA, extreme weather is a direct result of human-made pollution heating up the atmosphere. The hotter the global temperature gets, the more common and intense extreme weather — such as excessive rainfall — will become. 

Farmers around the world are feeling the effects. In northwestern Europe, for example, they face prolonged drought. Meanwhile, Indian mango farmers grapple with extreme heat that burns their crops.

This not only threatens farmers' job security, but also your weekly grocery expenses. When food production slows, costs shoot up. 

What's being done about it?

Payne told Radio Catskill that financial aid from local and state governments can give New York farmers the tools they need to adapt. To date, no new laws have been passed.

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Across the state, agricultural workshops, such as Grimaldi's, are also taking place. The New York Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Field Days share helpful agricultural strategies for the changing climate.

If you'd like to help on an individual level, consider donating to climate causes.

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