The Protein Losses of Three Major Cereal Crops by Natural Disasters in China From 1988 to 2020

Abstract

Natural disasters have a major detrimental impact on agricultural production. In recent decades, China has experienced more frequent natural disasters as a result of climate change. Although the spatial and temporal changes in natural disasters for individual catastrophic activities are well understood, the impact of several disasters on cereal crop productivity and subsequent quality loss remains unknown. Furthermore, due to the key significance of cereal in China’s daily diet, a decrease in cereal quality, namely protein, will have a detrimental effect on nutrient supply. To better understand the relationship between natural disasters and cereal crop food quality in China, we used province-level data from 1988 to 2020 to construct a dataset of natural disasters, crop production, and protein contents of cereal crops (rice, wheat, and maize). Our findings suggest that activities in areas affected by natural disasters have decreased dramatically since the 21st century, with changes in areas affected by such disasters varying by province. Between 1988 and 2020, the total protein losses from grain and straw harvests due to natural disasters were 11.93 and 391.27 million tons. Overall, the annual mean total protein loss in maize, rice, and wheat was 4,982.26, 5,055.4, and 4,200.34 thousand tons, respectively. Although was responsible for half of the protein losses in more than half of the provinces. Drought and floods accounted for 80% of the total area affected by all natural disasters.