Imagine a world without these foods
A world without coffee and chocolate may seem unfathomable—but the truth is that many foods are at risk of disappearing due to climate change, pests, diseases, water shortages, soil degradation, and habitat loss. The following foods are among the most at risk of endangerment (or worse, extinction).
Apples
Apples are the "most endangered food" in the U.S., with 86% of species lost and more at risk. Climate change affects apple growth by disrupting necessary cold weather periods. Pests like fire blight and diseases also harm orchards, usually caused by pests with developed resistance to pesticides.
Elizabeth Tr. Armstrong, Pexels
Avocados
Avocados need specific growing conditions, with water needs of over 250 liters per fruit. They are sensitive to increasing temperatures, raising concerns for avocado lovers about water scarcity and temperature changes.
Bananas
Experts warn that the most popular banana variety faces extinction due to the Panama Disease. It's a fungal infection that affects the tree roots, leading to water absorption issues and eventual death of the fruit.
Barley
Barley's genetic diversity is decreasing rapidly due to the loss of traditional landraces and farming methods. Barley cultivation suffers as water scarcity worsens due to overuse and urban development competition, which reduces water availability.
Cassava
Cassava's decline is due to decreased diversity during domestication and reliance on cuttings. Due to its significance around the globe, there are focused attempts to create new types of plants that can thrive in different climates.
Cherries
Cherries are being affected by severe weather, diseases, pests, habitat loss, and declining pollinator populations. Many cherry farms are implementing preventative measures to maintain crop yields.
Chocolate
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), future generations of cacao plants will be impacted by climate change, projecting 89.5% of current cacao land will be unviable by 2050. Saving cacao plants depends on using resilient seeds and the cabruca technique.
World Bank Photo Collection, Flickr
Coffee
Coffee plants at risk of extinction due to extreme weather events and diseases. As a result, coffee production in various parts of the world may decrease, leading to higher prices.
Corn
A recent NASA study in Nature Food warns that maize and wheat crops could be affected by climate change by 2030 due to high greenhouse gas emissions. Corn harvests are expected to drop by as much as 24%.
Durum wheat
Durum wheat used in pasta production is at risk of extinction as farmers struggle with water scarcity and soil degradation. Preserveration efforts are focused on resilience, water conservation, and soil health methods.
Honey
Honey bees, as well as other insects, are facing challenges globally due to habitat destruction, pesticide usage, and climate change. As a direct result honey production has also decreased since the 1990s and the issue persists, despite many bee conservation efforts.
Mangoes
Some mango orchards around the world are facing a mysterious disease leading to tree deaths. Poor tree condition indicates an unidentified illness caused by pathogens like fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and insects. Environmental changes such as global warming and pollution are adding to the problem, hindering crop growth.
Maple Syrup
In places like Canada, climate change, foreign insects, and diseases threaten maple forests and syrup production. These countries are implementing varoius forestry practices to strengthen forests to handle such challenges.
Olives
Severe weather conditions are greatly affecting olive harvests in southern Europe, with 2020's global production being the lowest in four years. Intense heat, winter storms, wildfires in California, and insect attacks have devastated olive farming.
Oranges
Most fresh oranges, tangerines, and lemons in the US are grown in California, with small Central California communities producing 80 percent. However, a destructive illness known as citrus greening has caused a decline in orange and grapefruit production.
Palm oil
Palm oil is endangered, which is a problem enough in itself—but its decline is also affecting a number of animal populations. Among these include the Sumatran orangutan, elephant, rhino and tiger.
Peanuts
Some suggest that peanuts might disappear by 2030 due to their specific needs of 5 months of warm temperatures and 20-40 inches of rain. Lack of rain prevents pod sprouting while excess rain leads to mold, making peanuts inedible.
Pineapples
Nearly half of the world's known flowering plants are in danger of extinction. Among them is the pineapple, although some sources claim that it is not yet on the endangered list.
Pistachios
While pistachios are not extinct yet, they are near threatened. Its population is on a downward trend, with threats such as fruit collection, livestock grazing, and cutting contributing to the issue.
Potatoes
Temperature change and habitat loss threaten wild potato species. Modelling suggests 13 species in various regions could disappear and 52% distribution area could be lost by 2050.
Rice
3.5 billion people depend on rice for 20% of their daily calories, but its production could drop by 5.5% with a 1.5 degree temperature increase. By 2050, agricultural production might decrease by 11%.
Strawberries
Commercial strawberries suffer from viral and fungal infections, making organic options costly and chemical-tainted, facing extinction due to climate change.
Sorghum
New research in Diversity and Distributions shows advanced technology identified Australia as the main habitat for wild sorghum relatives, even though sorghum was domesticated in Africa. 12 out of 23 species are endangered.
Vanilla
The study found that climate change is causing extinction risks for wild relatives of common crops in Mesoamerica. Vanilla, wild cotton, avocados, and wild potatoes are among the most threatened species, with vanilla being the most at risk.
Wine grapes
Global wine regions, from Europe to Southern California, face extinction as climate change threatens grape cultivation. Future losses could be significant, jeopardizing the future of winemaking.
Kelp
Kelp forests declining globally due to warm water, overharvesting, and predators. One of the few remaining strongholds of kelp can be found in Northern California.
