One of the world’s top vanilla-producing countries has seen its production threatened by extreme heat.

What’s going on?

Vanilla plants normally thrive under the shade of trees in crop-growing regions in Mexico. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the country is one of the top five producers of vanilla. But vanilla is sensitive heat waves And droughtThis year, Mexico has seen two extreme weather events.

“Vanilla production is at serious risk as a result of harmful effects.” climate changeUniversity of Veracruz professor Alejandro Quirino Villarreal said: per Contemporary Farmer.

“All of our producers estimate that we lost about 80 percent of this year’s crop,” said plantation worker Arturo Elias Garcia Gonzales.

Sustaining vanilla production also has cultural significance for members of the Chinantec community. There are seven varieties of the spice in the Chinantla region, but production difficulties threaten this long-term importance.

“If we stop naming certain species in the Chinantec language because they no longer exist, we begin to lose the language,” Elias Garcia Martinez explained.

Why do the threatened crops of an overheating planet matter?

Mexico made headlines this year, and it’s here to stay devastating droughts in the middle record breaking temperature. extreme weather This situation, which is getting worse as the world warms, has affected another pantry staple this year. Olive oil prices have arrived rose Production fell on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe.

A. study published this spring He explained in detail how global warming increases the prices of basic foods and prevents people from eating healthy. Africa is one of the regions of the world expected to be hardest hit. World Food Program USA Madagascar is next It ranks second on the list of most affected countries. climate change.

“Climate change can disrupt food availability, reduce access to food and affect food quality. For example, projected increases in temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, changes in weather conditions extreme weather “events and reductions in water availability can lead to reduced agricultural productivity.” based on To the Environmental Protection Agency. “Increases in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events can also disrupt food distribution, and spikes in food prices following extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent in the future. Rising temperatures can contribute to spoilage and contamination.”

National Park Service says A changing climate increases stress factors that compromise the resilience of plants, disrupting forest structure and the ecosystems they support. Negative effects include reduced productivity, altered ecosystem structure, vulnerability to pests, and the spread of invasive plants.

What is being done to reduce the effects of an overheating planet on food production?

Developments technology It could help the world face some of the challenges in food production. German researchers developed a method technology using microbes and carbon dioxide to produce materials that will ultimately help stabilize food supplies worldwide.

An international research team’s study of chickpea genotypes found encouraging results. They enlarged high protein plant Amid drought conditions in downtown Vienna, it gives hope that even urban areas can sustain chickpeas and provide additional food security.

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