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→Impact of climate change on agriculture: deleted "These issues dealing with agriculture are important to consider because countries in Asia rely on this sector for exports for other countries. This in turn contributes to more land degradation to keep up with this global demand which in turn causes cascading environmental effects. [citation needed] Environmental factor#Socioeconomic Drivers" as uncited |
→Latin America: deleted "The United States and Canada produce 15% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, while Central America produces less than 1%." as the paragraph is about Latin America not just Central America |
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Several studies that investigated the impacts of climate change on agriculture in Latin America suggest that in the poorer countries of [[Latin America]], agriculture composes the most important economic sector and the primary form of sustenance for small farmers.<ref name="ref 1"/><ref name="ref 2"/><ref name="ref 3"/><ref name="ref 4">{{cite journal | vauthors = Morton JF | title = The impact of climate change on smallholder and subsistence agriculture | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 104 | issue = 50 | pages = 19680–5 | date = December 2007 | pmid = 18077400 | pmc = 2148357 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0701855104 | doi-access = free }}</ref> [[Maize]] is the only grain still produced as a sustenance crop on small farms in Latin American nations.<ref name="ref 2"/> Scholars argue that the projected decrease of this grain and other crops will threaten the welfare and the economic development of subsistence communities in Latin America.<ref name="ref 1"/><ref name="ref 2"/><ref name="ref 3"/> Food security is of particular concern to rural areas that have weak or non-existent food markets to rely on in the case food shortages.<ref name="ref 5">{{cite journal |last1=Timmons Roberts |first1=J. |title=The International Dimension of Climate Justice and the Need for International Adaptation Funding |journal=Environmental Justice |date=December 2009 |volume=2 |issue=4 |pages=185–190 |doi=10.1089/env.2009.0029 }}</ref> In August 2019, Honduras declared a state of emergency when a drought caused the southern part of the country to lose 72% of its corn and 75% of its beans. Food security issues are expected to worsen across Central America due to climate change. It is predicted that by 2070, corn yields in Central America may fall by 10%, beans by 29%, and rice by 14%. With Central American crop consumption dominated by corn (70%), beans (25%), and rice (6%), the expected drop in staple crop yields could have devastating consequences.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Masters|first=Jeff|date=23 December 2019|title=Fifth Straight Year of Central American Drought Helping Drive Migration|work=Scientific American|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/eye-of-the-storm/fifth-straight-year-of-central-american-drought-helping-drive-migration/|access-date=1 June 2021}}</ref>
According to scholars who considered the environmental justice implications of climate change, the expected impacts of climate change on subsistence farmers in Latin America and other developing regions are unjust for two reasons.<ref name="ref 4"/><ref name="ref 6">{{cite journal |last1=Davies |first1=Mark |last2=Guenther |first2=Bruce |last3=Leavy |first3=Jennifer |last4=Mitchell |first4=Tom |last5=Tanner |first5=Thomas | name-list-style = vanc |title=Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction and Social Protection: Complementary Roles in Agriculture and Rural Growth? |journal=IDS Working Papers |date=February 2009 |volume=2009 |issue=320 |pages=01–37 |doi=10.1111/j.2040-0209.2009.00320_2.x |url=http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/123456789/2545 }}</ref> First, subsistence farmers in developing countries, including those in Latin America are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change<ref name="ref 6"/> Second, these nations were the least responsible for causing the problem of anthropogenic induced climate.<ref name="ref 6" />
According to researchers John F. Morton and T. Roberts, disproportionate vulnerability to climate disasters is socially determined.<ref name="ref 4"/><ref name="ref 6"/> For example, socioeconomic and policy trends affecting smallholder and subsistence farmers limit their capacity to adapt to change.<ref name="ref 4"/> According to W. Baethgen who studied the vulnerability of Latin American agriculture to climate change, a history of policies and economic dynamics has negatively impacted rural farmers.<ref name="ref 2"/> During the 1950s and through the 1980s, high inflation and appreciated real exchange rates reduced the value of agricultural exports.<ref name="ref 2"/> As a result, farmers in Latin America received lower prices for their products compared to world market prices.<ref name="ref 2"/> Following these outcomes, Latin American policies and national crop programs aimed to stimulate agricultural intensification.<ref name="ref 2"/> These national crop programs benefitted larger commercial farmers more. In the 1980s and 1990s low world market prices for cereals and livestock resulted in decreased agricultural growth and increased rural poverty.<ref name="ref 2"/>
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