Weather—the patterns of which make up the climate—profoundly affects our food system.

The growing of crops requires certain amounts of water, heat, and sun; temperature and other conditions influence the growth and health of animals. Yet, climate change is dramatically altering the weather patterns in the United States.

These changing weather patterns and increased extreme weather events are exacting a heavy toll on American agriculture. The 2016 droughts in California led to more than $600 million in losses. Hurricane Maria flattened farm fields throughout Puerto Rico in 2017, causing almost $800 million in losses. The 2019 flooding in the Midwest left 5 to 10 million bushels of corn and soy to rot and 19 million acres unable to be planted. Heat stress causes kidney disease and other harms to farmworkers and can weaken animals and slow their growth. As climate change gets more severe, so will these impacts.

While crop insurance, generously funded disaster assistance, and other programs largely shield producers themselves from the economic impacts of climate change, the societal costs are immense. For example, a 2021 study using detailed information from county-level crop insurance claims found

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that increased temperatures “contributed $27 billion—or 19%—of the national-level crop insurance losses over the 1991–2017 period” and concludes with “very high confidence that anthropogenic climate forcing has increased U.S. crop insurance losses.”¹ In addition, food prices are becoming more volatile as climate change interrupts both food production and our

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ability to transport food around the world.² Elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) impact plant physiology and the relative availability of nutrients. As a result of these shifts, protein concentrations in staple crops are expected to fall by 6%-14%,³ while also reducing micronutrient levels in vegetables and other crops.⁴ These changes will disproportionately affect the food insecure, who must contend with a food system where healthy foods are already more difficult to find and more expensive to purchase.⁵ We must not only eliminate agriculture’s net emissions, but also make agricultural production more resilient.

American farms must employ practices that will better enable them to withstand the more frequent extreme weather that climate change will bring. They will also face changes in climate conditions—the temperature, length of growing season, and rainfall patterns among other factors—that in large part determine whether a crop is suited for a specific region. Fortunately, many of the same practices that can reduce the contribution of agriculture to climate change will also make agriculture more resilient to climate change. The practices described below, and the policies that can accelerate their adoption, will benefit those who implement them. Trees and perennial crops with larger roots can better withstand floods, droughts, and heat waves; cover crops or untilled lands contain more organic matter that is less susceptible to erosion; crops that are planted in a rotation provide less purchase for pests; enhanced location-specific management improves forage; and adding trees through silvopasture protects livestock and provides additional sources of income.