Warmer temperatures could affect strawberry crops, increase prices: Study

There’s bad news for strawberry lovers, as researchers from the University of Waterloo suggests higher temperatures from climate change may reduce the red berry’s availability and increase the price at the grocery store.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo’s Department of Systems Design Engineering and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi, looked at strawberry crops in California and found an increase of three degrees Fahrenheit could reduce the amount of berries in a crop by as much as 40 per cent.

Canada is a major importer of strawberries from California, buying $322.8 million worth of them back in 2022.

“This research shows how climate change can directly impact the foods we love, emphasizing the importance of sustainable farming practices to maintain a stable food supply for everyone,” Dr. Poornima Unnikrishnan, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Systems Design Engineering at Waterloo, said in a press release.

Some methods include shade structures for crops and optimized irrigation for crops during heatwaves.

The new analysis model used by researchers, predicted the probability of losses by connecting air temperature anomalies and the size of the crop.

“We hope the better understanding of the influence of rising temperatures on crop yield will help in the development of sustainable agriculture responses from the government and farmers,” Ponnambalam said. “There is an urgent need for farmers to adopt new strategies to cope with global warming.”   

In 2022, the U.S. market for strawberries was worth more than $3 billion.