Local Researchers Shed Light On Climate Change And Crops

A new look by local researchers shows how climate change could affect food costs and global stability.

Up until now, most research into climate change and global food supplies has focused solely on crop yields — how much food is actually harvested.

But a new study of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso — an emerging global leader in agricultural production — finds climate change is also affecting how much land people choose to farm and the number of crops they plant.

Lead author and Tufts Fletcher School assistant professor Avery Cohn joined Morning Edition to explain what the findings in Brazil mean about our current understanding of climate change.