Heat Stress Costs Farm Workers Nearly 50 Working Days a Year, Threatening Global Food Security

As global temperatures continue to rise and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns of a strong El Niño event in the coming months, heat stress is emerging as a major threat to agricultural workers and global food security.

A new analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) reveals that agricultural workers in some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries lost an estimated 216 billion working hours to heat stress in 2024. This translates to roughly 590 hours per worker—equivalent to nearly 49 working days lost annually.

The findings come at a time when scientists project 2027 could become the hottest year on record, with several regions already experiencing unprecedented heatwaves and temperature extremes.

The ECIU report highlights that countries most exposed to climate risks and least equipped to adapt are also major suppliers of food to the United Kingdom. These nations accounted for 13% of UK food imports, valued at £8.9 billion. Key imports include rice from India, coffee from Brazil and Vietnam, cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, bananas from Colombia and Ecuador, citrus fruits from South Africa and Egypt, and tea from Kenya.

According to the Lancet Countdown, heat exposure caused the loss of 640 billion potential work hours globally in 2024, the highest figure ever recorded and more than 98% above the average recorded during the 1990s. Agricultural workers accounted for nearly two-thirds of these lost hours, underscoring their vulnerability to rising temperatures.

Impact on Farmers

Shamika Mone, President of the Intercontinental Network of Organic Farmers and a rice farmer in India, warned that extreme heat is making farming increasingly difficult.

“Extreme heat makes the already difficult job of farming even harder. There are real fears that hotter, drier weather caused by a super El Niño could damage harvests,” she said.

Mone stressed the need for governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve access to climate finance for smallholder farmers, and promote nature-friendly farming practices such as crop diversification and planting shade trees to reduce on-farm temperatures.

Growing Risks to Food Supplies

Gareth Redmond-King, Head of International Programme at ECIU, said climate change is affecting both crops and the workers responsible for producing food.

“The threat from climate change is growing, hitting the food crops themselves, but also the workers we rely on to produce them. In countries like India, where temperatures are reaching the high forties Celsius, working outdoors becomes dangerous, putting health, livelihoods, and food supplies at risk,” he said.

He warned that without a transition to more resilient agricultural systems and rapid progress toward net-zero emissions, heat stress will continue to intensify, threatening farmers and food production worldwide.

Rising Food Prices

Climate-related disruptions are already having a noticeable impact on food prices. The UK imports around 40% of its food, and climate shocks during 2022 and 2023 added approximately £360 to the average household food bill.

Food prices in the UK have risen by more than 40% since mid-2021, outpacing wage growth. Experts increasingly warn that climate change, coupled with geopolitical disruptions such as tensions in the Middle East and shipping risks around key trade routes, could further strain food supplies.

Chris Jaccarini, Food and Farming Analyst at ECIU, noted that climate-related impacts on imported foods are becoming a major driver of food inflation. He cautioned that short-term disruptions, including those affecting global shipping routes and fertilizer supplies, are adding further pressure to already vulnerable food systems.

Climate Vulnerability of Key Food Producers

The report identifies 15 major food-exporting developing countries—including Brazil, South Africa, India, Vietnam, Kenya, Peru, Ghana, Indonesia, and Mexico—as highly vulnerable to climate change. All score below 50 on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative (ND-GAIN) Climate Vulnerability Index, indicating significant climate risks and limited adaptive capacity.

Brazil, the UK’s largest food supplier outside North America and Europe, exported £1.3 billion worth of food products to the UK last year, including coffee, sugar, fruits, and soybeans used in animal feed.

Need for Climate Finance and Adaptation

The report argues that climate finance from developed nations is critical to helping farmers in vulnerable countries adapt to rising temperatures and extreme weather. Investments in resilient farming methods, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation measures can help safeguard livelihoods while maintaining stable food supplies and prices.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that heat stress could reduce global working hours by 2.2% by 2030, resulting in economic losses of approximately $2.4 trillion. In 2024, the ILO reported that 71% of the global workforce was exposed to excessive heat, with exposure rates reaching 75% in Asia, 83% in Arab states, and 93% in Africa.

As climate change accelerates, experts warn that protecting agricultural workers from extreme heat is becoming essential not only for livelihoods and public health but also for ensuring the stability of global food systems and food security.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy