Agricultural Report: Crop Disease Pressure and Sustainable Management in Ohio

Executive Summary

A recent field report from southwestern Ohio highlights significant challenges to crop production, directly impacting key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A farmer, Eric Tipton, reports that excessive moisture during the summer has elevated the risk of crop diseases, particularly tar spot. This situation underscores the critical intersection of climate variability, agricultural practices, and global food security objectives, primarily SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Threats to Food Security: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

The primary concern voiced by local producers is the potential for significant yield loss, which poses a direct threat to achieving SDG 2. The stability of food production is at risk due to environmental factors and disease.

• Primary Threat: Tar spot is identified as the number one concern due to its capacity to devastate a corn crop in a very short period, jeopardizing the local food supply and farmer livelihoods.
• State-Wide Variability: Crop conditions across Ohio are inconsistent, with producers facing a range of challenges from excessive wetness and disease to drought and uneven emergence. This variability highlights the fragility of agricultural systems and the difficulty in ensuring stable food production.
• Future Potential: Despite the challenges, there is optimism that current crops hold “quite the potential,” provided that favorable conditions persist. Securing this potential is vital for contributing to regional and national food security targets.

Mitigation Strategies and SDG 12 (Responsible Production)

In response to the heightened disease risk, farmers are implementing targeted management strategies. These actions align with the principles of SDG 12 by aiming to secure production in a responsible and efficient manner.

1. Targeted Fungicide Application: To combat tar spot, fungicide is being applied. The application is strategically timed to occur after the “brown silk” stage of corn development, ensuring maximum efficacy and minimizing unnecessary chemical use.
2. Monitoring and Adaptation: The decision to apply fungicide is based on continuous monitoring of environmental conditions and crop health, representing a key component of sustainable farm management.
3. Reliance on Natural Conditions: Recent drier weather has been beneficial for crop growth, demonstrating how producers leverage favorable natural cycles to complement active interventions and support responsible production patterns.

Climate Volatility and SDG 13 (Climate Action)

The report illustrates the direct impact of climate variability on agriculture, a central theme of SDG 13. The extreme weather patterns experienced in Ohio necessitate adaptive farming practices to build resilience against climate change.

• Ideal Disease Conditions: The wet summer is a clear example of how changing weather patterns can create ideal environments for pathogens, increasing the vulnerability of agricultural systems.
• Weather Extremes: The mention of both excessive wetness and drought within the same state highlights the increasing frequency of extreme weather events that farmers must navigate.
• Dependence on Timely Rainfall: The farmer’s optimism is contingent on receiving timely rainfall for the remainder of the season, underscoring the profound dependence of agriculture on predictable climate patterns, which are becoming less reliable. Proactive adaptation is essential for climate action within the agricultural sector.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article discusses issues related to farming, crop health, and environmental challenges, which directly connect to the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  This goal is central to the article, which focuses on crop production and the threats posed by disease. The farmer’s efforts to protect his corn crop from “tar spot” are directly related to ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The farmer’s use of “fungicide application” to manage crop disease touches upon sustainable production patterns. The management of chemical inputs in agriculture is a key aspect of this goal, aiming to minimize environmental impact while ensuring productivity.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article implicitly connects to this goal by highlighting the impact of weather events on agriculture. The farmer mentions that a “wet summer has created ideal conditions for disease development” and also references “drought” as a challenge. These are examples of the climate-related risks that farmers must adapt to, which is a core component of climate action.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific targets can be identified:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  • Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers. The farmer in the article is a food producer whose productivity is directly threatened by tar spot, which “can do to a crop in a very short period of time.” His actions are aimed at protecting his yield and, consequently, his income.
  • Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production… and strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters. The farmer is implementing a resilient practice (fungicide application) to adapt to weather-induced disease pressure (“wet summer”) and other challenges like “drought,” aiming to ensure his crop has “quite the potential.”

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  • Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil. The article mentions the farmer’s plan for “fungicide application after brown silk.” This timed and targeted approach implies a managed use of agricultural chemicals, which is a practice aligned with this target.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The farmer’s concern about disease thriving in a “wet summer” and his overall management of weather-related crop challenges demonstrate an on-the-ground effort to build resilience to climate-related hazards affecting agriculture.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article implies several qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• For SDG 2 Targets:

  • Indicator related to Target 2.3/2.4 (Productivity and Resilience): The “potential” of the crop serves as an implied indicator of agricultural productivity. The farmer’s statement that “Things around here look like they’ve got quite the potential” suggests a positive outlook on yield, which is the desired outcome of his disease management practices. The prevalence and impact of crop diseases like “tar spot” can be seen as a negative indicator, where a reduction in its impact would signify progress.

• For SDG 12 Target:

  • Indicator related to Target 12.4 (Chemical Management): The practice of “fungicide application” itself is an indicator of chemical use. More specifically, the farmer’s strategy to “do most of our fungicide application after brown silk” implies a targeted, needs-based application rather than prophylactic or indiscriminate use. This specific agricultural practice can be monitored as an indicator of progress towards more environmentally sound management of chemicals.

• For SDG 13 Target:

  • Indicator related to Target 13.1 (Adaptive Capacity): The implementation of adaptive strategies by farmers is a key indicator. The article points to the farmer’s active monitoring (“Watching for disease pressure”) and responsive actions (“putting the fungicide on”) as direct evidence of adaptive capacity to weather-induced challenges (“wet summer”).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: brownfieldagnews.com