How Climate is Changing Cultural Crop Cornerstones

By Lydia Wandmacher

Technology advancements and generations of agricultural revolutions have allowed for a global expansion in the realm of crops, bringing plants far beyond their original and natural limits and introducing them to new climates and countries. Some crops, however, are famous primarily for their regional origin. Despite the ability to grow the same crop elsewhere, certain regions can hold the crop at a higher standard simply because of from where it came. A well-known example of this is wine. The region where the wine grape was grown influences the type of wine made, for example, true champagne can only come from Champagne, France. Climate change is affecting crops worldwide, from almonds to peaches to coffee, causing shifts in where crops are able to be successfully grown. This is causing especially devastating effects on crops that legally have to come from certain regions to become a certain product, such as the aforementioned champagne.

Wine is well-known for its pickiness—from the grapes which prefer specific soils and climates to the lawmakers who designate only certain regions capable of producing specific wines, it is a scrupulous culture and industry. Changing climates though, have altered the landscape of the wine industry. Areas that once could never dream of having vineyards, such as England and Norway, have now broken into wine as surprising champions. Warmth in what used to be cold regions also means that the once perfect warm regions are becoming too warm, such as in France, but many cannot or refuse to abandon centuries-old vineyards. This has led to experiments in using new grapes in those regions, a surprisingly complex challenge. Wine is classified primarily by region, which varies depending on the country, and certain regions are only allowed to use certain grapes. With these changes in climates however, not only are the new wine regions going to have to develop additional regulatory systems, the old systems will have to be updated to account for changes in which grapes can feasibly still be grown in a particular region. Either new wines will be invented and classics, like a Bordeaux, might be retired, or consumers may have to adjust to a Bordeaux no longer tasting the same.

A similar predicament is affecting chilies—specifically those from New Mexico. Chilies are very important in New Mexico, and the regulations involved with what it takes to be labeled as a New Mexican chili reflects that. Increasingly scorching temperatures have caused chilis to blister and changed overall growth patterns, causing lower yields overall. Some farms have shifted to growing to the north in Colorado, but this violates the law establishing what is a New Mexican chili. Like with wine grapes, something will have to give. The climate has changed, potentially irreversibly as far as chili farmers are concerned. The choices are now to change the definition of a New Mexican chili and all the associated subtypes, such as Hatch, or to accept a future without these chilis.

Although wine grapes and chilis are among the few crops where changing climates will affect laws regarding variations and labeling, they are not the only crops being affected. In the US alone, crops all across the country are suffering from shifting growing seasons, increased pests, and water shortages. Even the few crops that are hitting boons from the climate, such as the success of chickpeas in Montana, are facing new challenges like harsh tariffs on these new or larger crop yields.