Climate Changes Skew Global Grain Harvests

Rising temperatures have decreased global grain production. Farms worldwide produced 3.8 percent less corn and 5.5 percent less wheat than they could have from 1980-2008. These findings could have contributed to increases in food prices. Price of corn rose by 6.4 percent and wheat by 18.9 percent since 1980. Harvests of corn and wheat climbed steadily since 1980 because of technological advancements, says David Lobell, a land-use scientist at Stanford University. But based on the team's statistical analysis, farmers could have produced more wheat and corn if the weather had been cooler. For corn, annual global losses amount to millions of tons- about equal to Mexico's yearly production of it. Lobell says his study identifies a number of problems that do need attetntion now. "If we invest in the development of crops that can withstand reallly high temperatures, that would potentially change things alot." says Lobell.