Adapting agriculture to drought and extreme events

Excerpt

The 2012 drought, one of the worst during the last 80 years or more, reminds us of the dust bowl of the 1930s (figure 1) and indicates that climate change is a reality rather than a distant threat. The drought has had a severe impact on yields, reducing the predicted grain production for corn per acre at a farm level to levels of production that have not been seen since 1995 and severely impacting other crops such as soybeans. Analysis has predicted that these lower yields will contribute to spikes in wholesale prices for consumers in the United States and internationally since the United States is the world's leading exporter of these grains. It is projected that prices for meat, eggs, and milk will also increase as a result of the drought impacts on grain yields, animals, and forages among other factors.

Many view the 2012 drought as an extension of the exceptional drought of 2011 in Texas and surrounding regions, during which 7.5 million ac (3 million ha) succumbed to wildfire in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Additionally, many expect that these droughts will be the new norm during this century. These droughts are following recent droughts like the…