Remaining productive amid climate challenges

Volatile climate conditions pose problems to agriculture worldwide. Facing shifting weather patterns, unpredictable rainfall, and rising temperatures, farmers must adapt their practices to ensure food security and sustainability. Magda du Toit spoke to experts in the industry to find out which strategies farmers can employ.

- By Magda du Toit

Climate change is a reality that farmers around the world are grappling with. Rising temperatures, erratic weather patterns, increased pest and disease pressure, as well as shifting precipitation patterns are making agriculture more challenging. While South African farmers face these challenges together with rising input costs, small adjustments to production methods can make a measurable difference, says Frikkie Janse van Rensburg from Syngenta Vegetables.

Farmers should adapt to changing conditions to mitigate risk. It is important to note that solutions that worked for many years are perhaps no longer the answer.

“Farmers can adopt several adaptive strategies to build climate resilience. The right cultivation system, hybrid selection, and irrigation approach can reduce risk while also improving efficiency,” says Van Rensburg.

According to Andries Wiese, national business development manager at Hollard Insurance, the impact of the changes in climate conditions has become very difficult to predict.

“Whilst insurers still typically make use of historical data when projecting the possible impact and losses due to climate conditions, it is clear that this is becoming less accurate. Just looking at the recent past, we have seen large losses from floods, fires and bad weather increasing.” Wiese says climate change is evident in the following: • In 2024, the insurance industry suffered its third-heaviest losses since 1980; • Natural disaster losses worldwide exceeded US$320 billion (about R5,6 trillion); • Losses far exceeded inflation-adjusted averages for the past decade; • Weather-related catastrophes accounted for 93% of losses; • Floods, wild fires, and thunderstorms caused US$136 billion (R2,4 trillion) in losses; and • The year 2024 was the hottest on record.