05-05-2025
Farmers issue warnings about food supply after record low harvests: 'Worst year ever'
The effects of the changing climate are wreaking havoc on one country's bean supply, according to the Krone.
Farmers across Austria are reporting record-low harvests of scarlet runner beans, and the changing climate is likely to blame. Farmers are calling it their "worst year ever" and suffering from "up to 80 percent crop failure."
The planet's warmest year on record was 2024, and Austria is no exception. Temperatures were nearly four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) above the yearly average, per the International. Warm temperatures prevented flowering, and heavy rainfall caused rot.
Board members of Alwera Group, an Austrian agricultural organization, told the Krone that this year's "harvest eclipses everything we have experienced so far. Never before have the challenges posed by extreme weather been so massive."
They're not the only ones struggling with the impact of a changing climate. Farmers in Madagascar reported increased difficulty in harvesting vanilla beans due to rising temperatures, and India's mango harvest saw a significant decrease from heavy rainfall.
The changing climate continues to impact weather, like prolonged heat waves, flash floods, and stronger storms. Understanding how different crops adapt — or don't — to rapidly changing conditions is essential to preserving species and maintaining harvests.
It's not just fruits and veggies — the changes will affect livestock, too. One study estimates that climbing emissions "could force 31% of the global food crop and 34% of livestock production beyond the [safe climatic space] by 2081–2100."
Growing or harvesting outside of the safe climatic space becomes dangerous, unsustainable, or impossible, and production will suffer. Reduced supply results in higher grocery prices, and the global hunger crisis will inevitably worsen.
Austrian farmers are testing heat-resistant alternatives, like edamame, but this is only a short-term solution.
Addressing food loss due to the changing climate means addressing the changes themselves — reducing heat-trapping gas emissions, developing sustainable agricultural technology, and improving resource management.
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