We are in a race against time to save our food supply from climate change
As climate change accelerates, it poses a serious threat to our global food supply. Scientists are raising alarms about the potentially devastating consequences.
Without rapid changes to how we develop climate-resilient crops, we could face widespread food shortages, famine, mass migration, and global instability.
An international team of researchers, as reported in Trends in Plant Science, calls for urgent action to avert this crisis.
“We’re in a race against time,” said Silvia Restrepo, president of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) and co-author of the paper.
“The crops we depend on for food are increasingly struggling to survive extreme weather, from heat waves to droughts and floods. Meanwhile, our current approaches to developing tougher, more resilient crops simply aren’t moving fast enough.”
Climate change impacting food supply
The challenges facing agriculture are more complex than ever. Crops are not only battling higher temperatures but are also dealing with more frequent pest outbreaks and diseases.
Even when plants survive these challenges, climate change can reduce their nutritional value.
The situation is further complicated by agriculture itself contributing to about 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions, creating a vicious cycle that accelerates climate change.
The BTI researchers outline five key recommendations to tackle this urgent crisis:
- Create global research initiatives that unite scientists from developed and developing nations to share resources and expertise.
- Study plants in real-world conditions, beyond the confines of controlled laboratory environments.
- Forge stronger partnerships between scientists and farmers to ensure practical solutions.
- Build public trust in new crop development technologies to increase acceptance.
- Streamline regulations to speed up the implementation of innovative agricultural solutions.
Funding gaps and neglected regions
Despite the crucial role agriculture plays in human survival, only about 4% of global climate funding – roughly $35 billion annually – goes toward developing climate-resilient food systems.
What’s even more alarming is that most of this funding focuses on large-scale farming in developed nations, leaving smaller farms and developing countries behind.
This imbalance is exacerbating both climate challenges and the global food supply crisis, leaving vulnerable regions at greater risk.
“We need to completely rethink how we approach this challenge,” said study co-author Andrew Nelson, an associate professor at BTI.
“Instead of starting in the lab and hoping solutions work in the field, we should begin by understanding farmers’ real-world challenges and then work backward to develop practical solutions.”
Building resilience through collaboration
Success will demand unprecedented collaboration among scientists, farmers, policymakers, and the public.
It will also require making new technologies accessible to all regions, particularly in the Global South, where climate impacts are felt most severely.
This global collaboration could help prevent a worsening crisis in agriculture and improve food security and nutrition worldwide.
The experts emphasize that the time for incremental changes has passed. Rapid and decisive action is required to implement their five recommendations.
Only by building resilient agricultural systems can we hope to secure our food supply in the face of ongoing climate change.
International summit on plant resilience
The group of 21 co-authors from nine countries formed after the First International Summit on Plant Resilience, organized by the Plant Resilience Institute.
The summit, held earlier this year, featured Michelle Heck as the keynote speaker. Heck, an adjunct professor at BTI and Cornell University and Research Molecular Biologist at USDA-ARS, spoke about her innovative research on preventing citrus greening disease.
The summit aimed to promote global collaboration by bringing together leading plant scientists from diverse disciplines. The goal? Establishing plant resilience research as a cornerstone of climate change solutions.
Another summit is already planned for 2026, signaling the importance and urgency of continued efforts to fight climate threats.
Protecting our food supply from climate change
As climate change continues to accelerate, our food systems face an uncertain future.
Addressing these issues will require collaboration across borders, new technology, and a fresh perspective on solving real-world agricultural problems.
The five recommendations outlined by the researchers are a roadmap that could lead to a more resilient and secure food system – but only if we act decisively.
The time for half-measures has passed; the world must come together to ensure a stable food supply for future generations.
The study is published in the journal Trends in Plant Science.
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