Drought is putting strain on food, water, energy, and the places where they intersect. (Photo by Shutterstock.)


As of June 2012, more than half of the country was in various stages of drought (according to information from the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor Report) and more than one-third of the nation’s counties had been declared federal disaster areasIn July, we didn’t get much relief, so that number is rising. Food, water, and energy come together to form an important nexus. We’re experiencing that nexus firsthand, because the worst drought since 1956 will likely produce significant impacts on food and fuel prices, and could cause urban water supplies in some regions of the country to dry up — with staggering consequences.

Here’s how food, water, and energy are being impacted by the 2012 drought, and some tips to help you minimize the impacts of these higher prices on your budget.

Photo by Shutterstock.

The obvious impact is damage to crops, especially to corn and soy. With no rain falling, crops are failing in places where crops are not irrigated or where irrigation water is in short supply. Corn is especially problematic because it’s in practically everything we eat (we even put it into our gas tanks). Check out the labels on those boxed, canned, and bottled products you might be buying at the grocery store. The chances are they’re made with corn or soy. Also, if you eat beef, poultry, pork, or even farmed fish, those animals were probably given feed made up of corn or soy. Dairy products and eggs? Same thing. Prices will likely be rising on meat and dairy products over the next few months, and certainly by next year. Processed foods and cereals are less likely to see the massive price spikes because those foods are generally cheaper to produce (at least they seem cheaper on the surface) but are generally much less nutritious than whole foods.

This would be a good time to:



This would be a good time to:

  • Find other forms of transportation that don’t involve putting gas in your car like walking and bikingtaking the bus or train, or even telecommuting. Even using less gas by carpooling and not letting your engine idle will help you save some money as fuel prices rise.


This might be a good time to:



This would be a good time to:

By now, it should be clear how food, water, and energy systems rely on and impact each other. Our infrastructure is connected and, while it seems resilient, it often takes very little to put things out of balance. Changing how we eat and use water and energy, when done collectively, can make a big difference in the availability and, ultimately, the sustainability of the natural resources we rely on throughout our lives.