Earth Day: Foods we risk not eating anymore

There are foods that might disappear from the face of the Earth. This is not alarmism; unfortunately, it is reality: several studies in recent years have shown that if we do not face climate changes and adequately protect the environment, this can indeed happen. That is why every year, from 1970 to today, Earth Day is celebrated: exactly one month and two days after the spring equinox, attention is drawn to this important issue through awareness-raising, events, and campaigns. Protecting the environment is extremely important, and we at Spaghetti & Mandolino try to do our part by raising awareness about the risks we face, promoting the right conduct as much as possible, and rewarding producers who pursue the right ethics in total respect for nature.

The climate is changing, and if effective solutions and more mature behaviors towards our surrounding environment are not adopted, we risk, among other things, permanently losing some at-risk foods. Let's see which ones.

CORN
Rising temperatures are increasing the risk of the development of some types of toxins in corn. Currently, the problem concerns the cultivation areas of the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, and it could soon lead to the impossibility of using this cereal for human nutrition and livestock feed. Moreover, by the end of the next decade, 30% of the areas designated for corn cultivation in the sub-Saharan region will no longer be suitable for this crop, necessitating conversion by 2025.

BEANS
Within the next 10 years, in the sub-Saharan region, 60% of the land designated for legume cultivation will become unworkable: these plants do not thrive in heat because high temperatures reduce seed fertility. A report from Ciat (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) a few years ago raised the alarm: by 2050, crops in these areas could even be halved. Meanwhile, Slow Food's Ark of Taste has put the kadyos bean under protection in the Philippines: here, climate change has led to irregular planting seasons with severe consequences on the harvest.

COFFEE
Two and a half billion cups: this is how much is consumed daily. Our grandchildren may not even taste a drop. A study speaks, in the worst-case scenario, of a complete disappearance of arabica cultivation in Africa by 2080. In Central America, increasing drought will further spread pests: already in 2013, yields decreased by 20% for this reason.

COCOA
The issues are the same for cocoa. Cultivations in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire risk extinction by 2050 due to rising temperatures that would cause evapotranspiration in the plants, compromising their life cycle. The cultivation area would need to shift from the current 100-250 meters in altitude to 450-500 meters, but at that point, the amount of cocoa available would become much lower than it currently is, making chocolate much more expensive.

MOLLUSKS AND CRUSTACEANS
Increasing water acidity is making it increasingly difficult for mollusks and crustaceans to form their shells. A change in the pH of the water also alters the taste of mollusks, making them more bitter.

WINE
Last March, NASA published a study that raised a real alarm about wine: in recent decades, vineyards have increasingly anticipated the harvest time. There is a need to move cultivations higher and higher, but this affects the final taste of the wine since the ripening and properties of the grapes are closely linked to climate and terroir. At Vinitaly, Coldiretti itself admitted last year that over the last 50 years, wines have increased their alcohol content by one degree, and wineries are seeking increasingly different solutions to cultivate at higher altitudes, reaching up to 1200 meters.

TEA
After water, there is tea: three billion cups of tea are consumed daily worldwide. However, tea is also at risk. In the State of Assam, from where the majority of Indian tea comes, there are long periods of drought that facilitate the proliferation of pests that attack tea plants. Producers are thus forced to use more pesticides and resort to irrigation, which in turn raises tea prices. After a major drought, periods of torrential rain often follow, which is also harmful because it destroys the soil. With the increase of the population in India and China, tea will also have to compete for land with other types of crops.

RICE
It is the most widely used source of nourishment in the world, but according to some estimates from IFPRI (International Food Policy Research Institute), rice production in Southeast Asia could decline by up to 15% by 2050. A percentage that, although it may seem small, would have a devastating impact on the nutrition of many populations and the economy of many countries.
 
HONEY
For the European Union, pollination performed by insects (mostly bees) is valued at about 15 billion euros per year. The problem is that these insects are at risk of survival due to climate change, which advances their awakening from winter and does not provide them with adequate nutrition to live in the early weeks. Fertilizers and pesticides also affect their life cycle. In Europe, almost 10% of bee species are at risk of extinction. An example of a product at risk is Sicilian almond honey, which is becoming increasingly rare because the flowering time of trees has reduced, thus limiting the time that bees have for pollination.

APPLES
They will no longer be the same. Research by some Japanese scientists has shown how in the last 30-40 years, climate changes have altered the taste and texture of apples: the Fuji variety, for example, has become sweeter and less crunchy over time. All this is caused by higher temperatures that advance flowering.

CHERRIES
Warmer temperatures certainly do not help cherries, which instead need cold. The delay in the blooming of flowers significantly decreases the production of this succulent fruit. In some areas of the United States, in 2012, the production of cherries plummeted by 90% due to the lack of cold weather.

BEER
Could we ever live without beer? We will also have to face this issue, as heat makes the natural fermentation of many craft beers much more difficult. Autumn nights are indeed too warm for this operation, and there are fewer months in which it is possible to produce naturally fermented beer.

AVOCADO
Some scientists have predicted that in the next 32 years, avocado production in California will decrease by 40 percent. However, it is true that in other parts of the world, like in some regions of Southern Italy, climate change has allowed the cultivation of this fruit, which would have been unthinkable before.

MAPLE SYRUP
Maples are highly stressed by wet winters and dry summers when they need very cold nighttime temperatures and mild daytime temperatures to produce the sap from which syrup sugar is derived. To address this issue, maple cultivation is increasingly being done further north. This type of cultivation used to be more focused in America, but now it is in Canada. Compared to 50 years ago, the sap also contains less sugar, and to maintain the same sweetness of the syrup, more sap must be used.

PEANUTS
Hot and dry periods followed by torrential rains: peanuts also suffer from this. Drought also leads to contamination from toxins and fungi. All these issues continuously raise their prices, and to prevent them from becoming a luxury, scientists are studying varieties of peanuts that can grow even in drought conditions.
 

S&M