{"id":34505,"date":"2023-11-01t15:34:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-01t15:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=34505"},"modified":"2024-01-30t19:01:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30t19:01:49","slug":"food-inflation-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/food-inflation-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"food inflation and the fight against climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"
for many americans, trips to the grocery store have become a painful experience.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n this is not accidental. and it isn\u2019t entirely caused by limited selections, long commutes, or lengthy lines. rather, it\u2019s the byproduct of one of the most serious threats to consumers, businesses, and producers alike: food price inflation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n according to cbs news, prices are rising at the \u201chighest rate in decades.\u201d<\/a> egg costs have <\/span>doubled<\/span><\/a> over the last couple years. cereal and bread are up 25% since 2021<\/a>. and much to the chagrin of almost everyone, wholesale prices of bacon have <\/span>tripled<\/span><\/a> since june. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n the usda predicts a 5.8 percent increase<\/a> in all food prices for 2023. heading into 2024, they predict a 2.2 percent increase<\/a>. these adjustments may seem like low, negligible figures, but incremental increases such as these have applied growing financial pressure to the average american household.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n while factors ranging from an outbreak of <\/span>avian flu to disrupted supply chains have had major consequences on the price of food, one key issue looms in the background: climate change. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n at the ground level, climate change and extreme weather events are having a noticeable effect on farmers and their businesses. case in point: emma jagoz. she\u2019s the founder of moon valley farm, a 100% women-owned business producing and selling to restaurants and partners in the washington-maryland-virginia area. moon valley\u2019s offerings include vegetables, fruits, eggs, and mushrooms. for jagoz, extreme weather in maryland has had significant impacts on her business. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cgrowing has definitely been made more challenging by our rapidly changing climate. record rains cause seeds to wash out and crops to rot. and extreme heat has caused significant droughts and shortages not just for us but for many other farms,\u201d jagoz said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n these challenges affect not only jagoz\u2019s business, but the global agricultural economy as well. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n according to maggie monast<\/a>, an environmental economist with the environmental defense fund, \u201cclimate impacts on agriculture, from catastrophic weather events to temperature and rainfall variability, increase risks for farmers and their financial partners. this pattern of increasing disruption directly affects food availability, prices, and ultimately, what ends up on our plates.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n these issues don\u2019t seem to be going away. nasa estimates that by 2030, corn yields will drop 24%<\/a>. the epa also <\/span>predicts<\/span><\/a> that \u201cthe yields of major commodity crops (such as corn, rice, and oats) are expected to be lower than they would in a future without climate change.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n from here the explanation rests on simple supply and demand. the lower the crop yield, the more expensive it becomes. and the greater the price sold to restaurants, grocery stores, and other businesses alike, the greater the price for the consumer. this all manifests in food inflation. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cin general, extreme weather causes decreases in crop yields. and when there are shortages, that\u2019s where price increases come from,\u201d said john forrer, an affiliated faculty of gw\u2019s global food institute. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n but forrer also mentioned another element to this crisis, one that has notably geopolitical undertones.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n america is dangerously reliant on risky global supply chains for many crops. but when climate change affects crop yield, and the supply chains are not resilient, price hikes and shortages come about. this, forrer noted, is what often underlies the food inflation we\u2019ve seen in america.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n take international exports of rice for instance. extreme weather events, such as monsoons, have caused significant <\/span>damage<\/span><\/a> to india\u2019s rice crop since july. india has responded by placing a total export ban on non-basmati white rice. they then levied a 20% duty on exports of parboiled rice, as cnn <\/span>reports. <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n this move, made in late august, will likely affect the global supply chain in a negative way. it will impede access to a crop many countries depend on. and this has a real world effect. according to <\/span>cnn<\/span><\/a>, \u201cmore than three billion people worldwide rely on rice as a staple food and india contributed to about 40% of global rice exports.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n according to forrer, india\u2019s decision is one rooted in geopolitics. india made this move to secure its domestic supply. but the prices of rice have risen dramatically following the decision. costs are not only up in india, but in vietnam and thailand<\/a> as well. in this vein, forrer speculates that india made this move for financial purposes. and as cnbc <\/span>reports<\/span><\/a>, the export ban was the \u201clatest in the government\u2019s effort to rein in high food prices.\u201d all of this comes at the potential expense of affordably feeding hundreds of millions of people around the rest of the world. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nkeeping up with a changing climate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
supply goes down, prices go up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n