The Effect of Rising Temperatures on Food Staples

Sharing research in the hopes of developing a disease-resistant and more nutritious cassava strain is one of the partnership’s roles in the global community.

Andy Jarvis is a climate change scientist with the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture and one of the co-authors of the study on cassava. Speaking at a conference held by the Global Cassava Partnership, he said that, “Research shows that [the cassava] will brush off the higher temperatures. Its potential is tremendously exciting. But now we have to act promptly on the research, as more pests and diseases are manifesting themselves because of climate change.”

Another crop that does well in warm weather and poor, dry soils is the cowpea, a nutritious legume grown most commonly in West Africa, India, and in the southern U.S., where they’re known as black-eyed peas.

According to a report by science news website phys.org, scientists are already working on breeding cowpea plants to have both a high resistance to drought and a high yield. With soy poised to reach the precipice of ideal temperatures in the coming decades, the cowpea could provide a viable, protein-rich replacement. And alongside cassava chips and fried plantains, cowpeas might soon have a special place at the global dinner table.

Bio: Sarah Hartwick is a freelance writer and an avid traveler. In her spare time, she works with Schools Building Schools, a growing NGO that’s striving to spread access to education throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Check out her blog to follow her adventures around the globe.