Innovations in storage and global supply chains have made a wide variety of fruits, grains and vegetables commonplace, often year-round. That abundance is set to change as rising temperatures and erratic weather put pressure on crop yields. Annual agricultural losses tied to natural disasters have more than doubled in three decades, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, rising to an average annual cost of $144bn in recent years. Disruptions to the agricultural, food and beverage industries from drought-related extreme weather have risen by 250 per cent since 2021, according to supply chain tracker Resilinc.
"The food system we have is not going to be fit for purpose in 30 years," says Jessica Fanzo, a professor of food and climate at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Italy. She warns that it will be very hard to raise livestock and to grow maize and soyabeans in Brazil, one of the world's top exporters of the two staple crops. According to the FAO, just nine main species accounted for nearly 70 per cent of global crop production for human consumption by 2014.
Reversing that trend would help slow the spread of pests and crop diseases and build a more sustainable agricultural system. That means revitalising some of the several thousand traditional crops neglected in favour of monocrops, where farmers grow only one type over a large area, and experimenting with more climate-resilient varieties. Experts say this could give consumers access to a wider variety of foods and help them keep foods of particular cultural significance.
International bodies, including the European Commission and the FAO, recognise the role traditional crops could play in feeding growing populations. In India, a flagship programme promoting traditional millet varieties helped raise production of the grain to 18mn tonnes in 2025. Parvinder Kumar, founder of Wayfield Agricultural Technology in northern India, says these crops offer nutritional and cultural benefits, but farmers face hurdles, as the financial return is often too low.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing