Cranberries and Climate Change: How Global Warming is Straining Socio-Ecological Conditions in New England

• In Event: 508 - Section on Marxist Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Section on Marxist Sociology Roundtables (one-hour). Table 01. Environmental Crises and Resilience

Abstract

The sustainable production of New England cranberries over hundreds of years is largely due to the fact that cranberries are perennial vines requiring no tillage and little added fertility. However, cranberries face a new challenge —global climate change— that may threaten its continued production. Warmer springs result in earlier bud burst, causing flower/fruit loss if a hard frost occurs. Hotter, drier summers result in more water used to irrigate the crops, which can compete with municipal uses. Increased temperatures causes heat stress on plants, which reduces yields. Cranberry production depends on pollination from bees which have experienced annual losses due to Colony Collapse Disorder. It is unclear how effective wild bee populations may be in filling the need for pollination services, especially as several native species are also experiencing decline in the US due to habitat loss, exposure to pesticides, exotic pathogens, and quite possibly changes in climate patterns. The climate prediction for New England over the next few decades is a continued rise in temperature, more precipitation in winter, and falling more frequently as rain than snow, leading to greater potential of floods, and longer periods of drought in the summer. This paper asks: What is and can be done to preserve the cultivation of New England cranberries amidst a changing climate? Cranberry farmers are already beginning to adapt to climate change, but some strategies will be more successful than others, some more damaging to socio-ecological systems, and some perhaps having long-term destructive effects.

Author

• Brian J. Gareau, Boston College