WillAgri
Climate change, aggravated by the disruption of supply chains and export restrictions, is driving up food prices and increasing the risk of food insecurity in 2020. Many import-dependent countries are beginning to experience shortages of basic necessities. Agriculture suffers from underestimating extreme weather risks: more intense storms occur at a faster rate, while droughts are more severe and more damaging. Farmers need 75 to 150 days of “normal” weather to cultivate. A calendar disrupted by rains, for example, can have a devastating impact on agricultural production, farmers’ incomes and food security. As weather patterns change, farmers are forced to replace plants that are sensitive to sudden weather changes with more resilient crops or invest in better water management practices. According to tests that Microsoft undertook with ICRISAT in India a few years ago, the use of big data on weather information has increased productivity by 10 to 30 per cent. It can also improve resilience to climate change, particularly in the arid zones of emerging countries.
Source: Agfunder