Cultivating crops can become more challenging in cold weather, but harsh winter conditions can, in fact, foster a robust agricultural industry. Snow is a natural insulator for plants, shielding them from extreme cold temperatures. Additionally, the freezing and thawing cycle of water helps to loosen the soil, and when the snow melts, it adds moisture to the soil in preparation for spring.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan explores how cold and snow have influenced the modern global agricultural system and shares a warning for some of the world’s developed nations.

Excerpted from Peter’s Feb. 8 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

Some of you out there might grovel when the first snowflakes of the season fall, but I’d be willing to bet that the geopolitical significance of that snow hasn’t crossed your mind. Today, we’ll be exploring winter’s impact on agriculture and global food security.

If you think of all the great agricultural zones in the world, most of them have a winter season. At face value, that might seem irrelevant, but the snow and moisture that winter brings serves as insulation for the ground and facilitates biological processes critical for agriculture.

Historically, regions with a cold winter season have been more conducive to growing crops capable of feeding large populations, such as soy, wheat, rice, and corn. However, the industrialization and development of fuels and fertilizers has enabled these crops to be grown in areas previously unsuitable for agriculture.

These advances gave way to increases in population and the cultivation of new lands, but is it sustainable? As soon as places like Brazil or China can no longer import the inputs necessary to grow enough crops to feed their populations, we’re in for a rude awakening…