Officials sound alarm as potential food shortage could impact millions: 'Special concern'
A prolonged period of parched conditions in Ukraine has threatened some of the country's food supplies. This will be the seventh consecutive year that yields have been at risk.
What's happening?
According to a report in WORLD-GRAIN.com, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service cautions that Ukrainian grain production and exports will significantly decline compared to the 2023-24 marketing year. Grain output is expected to fall by 13%, and exports will drop by 26% as the country faces depleted grain inventories. Corn is forecast to have the biggest drop, with a 24% projected decline.
Crops were stressed at least three times during the growing season last year as a result of unseasonably warm temperatures and an intense summer drought. Ukraine's winter crops rely on moisture during the fall and winter seasons, but this most recent period also saw limited precipitation.
"The total amount of precipitation for November-January was only 79.6 mm and was significantly inferior to the long-term average of 117 mm," according to the Ukrainian National Agricultural Academy, which was quoted by APK-Inform consultancy, per Reuters. "For the last seven years such provision of winter crops with atmospheric moisture was observed for the first time."
Scientists with the academy said the lack of sufficient precipitation during the winter and the depleted soil moisture reserves "cause special concern for grain producers."
Why are lower grain yields in Ukraine important?
In addition to providing food for its citizens, Ukraine exports grain to several countries, including Turkey and Spain, as well as countries in the Middle East and Africa. China is Ukraine's leading export destination.
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Our warming world has been linked to a rise in megadroughts — intense, long-lasting droughts that impact vast regions and can last for decades. California has been experiencing a drought for 14 of the last 20 years. A study found that our overheating planet has lengthened the state's drought recovery time by at least three months.
Russia's war with Ukraine has forced Ukraine to redirect much of its grain exports. Now, it's not just the weather impacting the country's crop production growth; the war has also taken a toll.
"The war has created many challenges for the Ukraine farm sector, jeopardizing gains in productivity made in the prior two decades," according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Ukraine farmers have faced power outages, theft, shortages of labor and materials needed for inputs, infrastructure damage, and active warfare threats. Debris left from shelling and mined fields poses a hazard for farmers trying to sow, cultivate, and harvest."
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What's being done about drought conditions in Ukraine?
Our warming world has made droughts more intense, more frequent, and longer lasting. Cooling our planet will take a massive shift away from dirty energy sources that emit heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Renewable energy options are a cleaner, safer alternative.
Learning about critical climate issues and spreading the word by talking with family and friends can make a difference. So can supporting pro-climate candidates who want to fight for the future of our planet.
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Officials sound alarm as potential food shortage could impact millions: 'Special concern' first appeared on The Cool Down.
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