El Niño: Why hot weather could damage Waikato strawberry crops
Waikato strawberry farmers are concerned that the current 'Super El Niño' climate phenomenon will bring extreme heat and weather volatility to New Zealand. These conditions threaten crop yields by stalling pollination and increasing the risk of fungal diseases.
Why it matters
Climate change and extreme weather patterns pose direct economic risks to agricultural sectors and food security.
The words “Super El Niño” are on everyone’s lips, spoken in delight by those hoping we get a scorcher of a summer holiday, and spoken with some trepidation by our farming communities, for whom Cyclone Gabrielle is not a distant memory.
According to Earth Sciences New Zealand, El Niño is one phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (Enso), a naturally occurring climate phenomenon centred on the tropical Pacific Ocean.
Although El Niño originates thousands of kilometres away from New Zealand, it can significantly influence our climate by altering atmospheric circulation patterns across the Pacific basin.
This brings high winds, torrential rain and droughts.
With a “very strong” El Niño on the horizon, Coast & Country News spoke to three different Waikato growers, all of whom are at the coalface and at the mercy of the weather.
Emma Kane and Hayden Laws run Kane’s Strawberries in Cambridge.
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