Lower Crop Yield Levels in Africa

Climate change is a global threat to the food and nutritional security of the global earth. As greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere are daily increasing, the temperature is also rising due to the greenhouse effect.

The average global temperature is increasing on a daily basis and is predicted to rise by 2°C by 2100, which would cause substantial economic losses at the global level. Climate change also affects the microbial population and their enzymatic activities in soil.

The climate change issue; its possible causes, its projection in the near future, its impact on the agriculture sector as an influence on physiological and metabolic activities of plants, and its potential and reported implications for growth and plant productivity, pest infestation, and mitigation strategies and their economic impact.

Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture
Agriculture and climate change are internally correlated with each other in various aspects, as climate change is the main cause of biotic and abiotic stresses, which have adverse effects on the agriculture of a region. The land and its agricultural activities are being affected by climate change in different aspects; variations in annual rainfall, average temperature, heat waves, modifications in weeds, pests or microbes, global change of atmospheric CO2, and fluctuations in sea level.

The threat of varying global climate has greatly driven the attention of scientists, as these variations are imparting negative impacts on global agricultural productions and compromising food security worldwide. To date, food security and ecosystem resilience are the most concerning subjects worldwide. Water availability, air pollution, and soil fertility have a large impact on agricultural productivity. The effects of climate change and environmental variation are mainly estimated by the number of stress spells, their impact on daily life, and damage to agricultural crops.

Climate change can extend the development season of the pests and change the synchronization of crops and pests. It can also increase the risk of migrant pest invasion. Climate change is likely to impact insects’ growth and their metabolic rates, particularly in temperate regions. The region of suitability of pest infestation is also increasing because of climate change. The three common insect species of Africa; Tuta absoluta, Ceratitis cosyra, and Bactrocera invadens, have increasing habitat suitability across the entire continent, particularly in regions close to its most suitable habitat.

Weed infestation of crops have been affected by climate change. Apart from weed growth, climate change also significantly influences herbicide efficacy, as it affects the herbicidal mode of action. Climate change is projected to have a favorable influence on the weeds of wheat crops, which are very vital to world food security. Around 815 million people are affected by malnutrition, hindering sustainable development programs to achieve the universal goal of eliminating hunger by 2030. Food security and agricultural yield are considerably affected by the adverse weather.

With the elevation in temperature, the production of major crops has been reduced evidently around the world. The increased frequency of drought and heavy rainfalls, temperature fluctuations, salinity, and insect pest attacks are anticipated to decrease crop productivity leading to higher threats of starvation. Crop adaptability has suffered not only as a result of temperature variations but also because of rainfall.

Economic Impact of Climate Change
Climate change also have severely affected the agricultural markets, causing a reduction of 0.26% in global GDP. Global economic growth is projected to be reduced by 0.28% per year. The loss of crop yields can increase food prices and can have an absurd effect on agriculture welfare globally, with a 0.3% annual loss of future GDP globally by 2100. However, found that climate change has limited influence on the world food supply, but developing countries will face severe negative consequences. The yield losses in three cereal grains (rice, maize, and wheat) are projected to worsen by 10 to 25% with a 1℃.