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Farmers must navigate a complex landscape of challenges to meet the changing needs of our planet and the expectations of regulators, consumers, food processors, and retailers. They are confronted with increasing pressures from various quarters, each posing its own set of hurdles. Let us take a look at the major challenges faced by the agricultural sector.
Climate change
Climate change is no longer a distant concern; its impacts are reverberating across the globe, with agriculture bearing the brunt. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events are disrupting food production, jeopardizing food security, and pushing millions towards hunger.
Rising temperatures can shorten growing seasons, stress crops, and increase water demand, while heatwaves can devastate crops and extreme cold snaps can damage sensitive plants. Changes in precipitation patterns can lead to droughts in some regions and floods in others, both of which can damage crops, reduce yields, and contaminate water sources. More frequent and intense storms, hurricanes, and floods can cause widespread destruction to infrastructure, crops, and livestock.
Changing weather patterns, extreme weather events, and droughts triggered by climate change are among the primary drivers of food insecurity worldwide. These phenomena have a profound impact on food production, as they significantly limit the quality, availability, and accessibility of resources, ultimately compromising the stability of food systems globally.
Agriculture is tied to climate and weather conditions. Prolonged droughts or excessive rainfall can have devastating consequences on soil health and fertility. Drought conditions can deplete soil moisture, leading to crop failure and reduced yields, while excessive rainfall can cause waterlogging, soil erosion, and nutrient depletion.
Insufficient agricultural land
Of the 1.38 billion hectares of arable land available worldwide, more than one-third has been irreversibly compromised since 1961 due to extensive land conversion and traditional agricultural practices such as monocropping, intensive tilling, and unsustainable land use. These practices have led to soil erosion, desertification, and salinization, severely degrading the quality of arable land.
In 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported a staggering decline of 54 million hectares of arable land across developed countries in North America, Europe, and South Asia. Meanwhile, some countries in East and North Africa, as well as South Asia, have already reached their limit of farmable land, leaving no room for expansion.
Alarmingly, only 12% of the global land surface is currently used for crop production, and it is unlikely that this number will increase significantly, primarily due to urbanization and the conversion of land for non-agricultural purposes. Consequently, the pressure remains to preserve and sustainably manage the existing arable land, even though most of it has already been degraded to some degree.
Soaring input costs
Agriculture faces a mounting challenge – skyrocketing input costs. From fertilizer and fuel to seeds and machinery, the price of essential resources is soaring, putting immense pressure on farmers and threatening food security worldwide.
Fertilizer expenses have surged twofold or even tripled in recent years, driven by a combination of factors such as disruptions in the supply chain, escalating energy prices, and the conflict in Ukraine. Diesel, essential for powering farm equipment, has witnessed substantial price hikes due to fluctuations in the global market and geopolitical tensions. Furthermore, the cost of seeds and agricultural machinery has risen due to heightened production and transportation expenses. Wages for agricultural labourers are also climbing, propelled by inflation and heightened competition for skilled workers.
Population growth
In 2022, the world population reached a staggering 8 billion, and if growth continues at the same rate, it will double in the next 50 years. This unprecedented growth can be attributed to high fertility levels and drastic increases in human lifespans, largely due to remarkable advancements in public health, medicine, nutrition, and personal hygiene, which have significantly accelerated population growth over the last century.
One obvious consequence of this population explosion is a higher demand for food. However, if agriculture cannot keep pace, more people will inevitably face hunger. Current figures are already alarming – in 2021, a staggering 828 million people suffered from hunger, an increase of 46 million compared to the previous year.
The agricultural sector must undergo serious transformations to prevent a catastrophic situation, as the already scarce arable land, combined with the impacts of climate change on food resources, poses a severe challenge in providing sufficient nutritious food for the growing population.
Loss of biodiversity
There would be no healthy ecosystems to provide the food we eat or the air we breathe without a wide range of animals, plants, and microorganisms. Soil, in particular, is one of the main global reservoirs of biological diversity – 25% of animal species on Earth live underground, and 40% of organisms in terrestrial ecosystems are in direct contact with soil at some point during their existence.
However, the extensive loss of biodiversity in agriculture is a prime example of what biologists call genetic erosion. This process results in the loss of entire species. For instance, in ancient North America, when corn (a species native to Central America) was introduced, it began replacing several domesticated plants, leading to their extinction.
Genetic erosion can also occur within species. For example, in India, out of the 400,000 varieties of rice that existed originally, only about 30,000 remain today. This erosion of genetic diversity has accelerated over time, particularly due to the rise of hybridized seeds and genetic modification in the 20th century.
Addressing these complex challenges requires a comprehensive and collaborative approach involving governments, policymakers, scientists, farmers, and the global community. Investing in sustainable agriculture practices, climate-resilient crop varieties, and innovative technologies will be crucial.
This article has been modified using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.