According to a study published in Sustainability, a team of researchers which includes Dr. Poornima Unnikrishnan, Dr. Kumaraswamy Ponnambalam, who is also from Systems Design Engineering at Waterloo, and Dr. Fakhri Karray from the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, using a new method of analysis discovered that a 3-degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature could minimize strawberry yields by up to 40%.
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According to the study from the University of Waterloo, rising temperatures caused by climate change might result in fewer and more expensive strawberries.
Canada is a large importer of strawberries from California. Canadian strawberry imports from California were valued at US$ 322.8 million in 2022.
This research shows how climate change can directly impact the foods we love, emphasizing the importance of sustainable farming practices to maintain a stable food supply for everyone.
Dr Poornima Unnikrishnan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo
Sustainable farming methods might involve optimizing irrigation to guarantee enough water supply during heat waves, employing drip irrigation and scheduling activities to avoid peak hot weather periods, and using shading plants and shade structures to reduce heat stress.
The research team began their analysis with strawberries due to their popularity and notoriously short shelf life. They claim that these findings have ramifications for the availability of all produce imported from California.
The researchers made a model to predict the likelihood of crop loss by correlating air temperature anomalies and strawberry yield. This approach enabled the assessment of larger variability across time, resulting in the most accurate findings to date.
We hope the better understanding of the influence of rising temperatures on crop yield will help in the development of sustainable agriculture responses from the government and farmers. There is an urgent need for farmers to adopt new strategies to cope with global warming.
Dr Kumaraswamy Ponnambalam, Professor, Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo
Strawberries are a highly profitable commodity for the economies of California and the United States. Strawberry sales alone were expected to exceed $3 billion in 2022.
Journal Reference:
Unnikrishnan, P., et. al. (2024) Influence of Regional Temperature Anomalies on Strawberry Yield: A Study Using Multivariate Copula Analysis. Sustainability. doi:10.3390/su16093523