Target: Weather & climate—weather conditions year-to-year and climate trends.- Importance to Food & Agr: Few things are as important to growing food as temperatures, precipitation, and other weather variables. Day length and weather are the main determinants of the life cycles of our food crops, and of many wildlife services to agriculture.
- Issues: Climate change is increasing variability in weather, and bringing weather extremes and longer term trends that are and will continue to disrupt agriculture.
- Observing Options: Recording of precipitation is probably the easiest observation, followed by maximum and minimum temperatures for each day. The date of the last spring freezing temperature, and the first in the fall allow you to determine the growing season and compare in year-to-year with your crop yields. If observations on site are not possible, you may find a nearby observing site that you can obtain data from. Soil temperatures and daily evaporation are easy observations that relate directly to your crops’ growth.
- Citizen Science: Colorado State University’s National CoCoRaHS network (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network) of volunteer weather observers is one of the best networks around. Check their site to see if you have a volunteer nearby, or become an observer. Best suited to older students and adults, there are easy training materials on the site. An approved rain gage costing about $30 is all that is needed.
- Resources: HCFS’s Jim Dyer is a meteorologist who can provide technical advice and educational resources as needed.
Healthy Community Food Systems
Healthy Land, Healthy Food, Healthy People
Being Proactive—as a Community—About Climate Change in our Local Food Systems and Foodsheds
Fickle Monsoons, Summer in March, and Hot Summer Nights: Climate change is here, has been seriously affecting local agriculture, and will certainly get worse. It will take some serious effort to adjust our local food production and local food systems to the extent needed, so why not ramp up efforts now to adapt and help […]