The U.S. drought of 2012 in perspective: A call to action

The United States is the world's largest exporter of major grain and oilseed crops. In the three-year period from 2008-2010, it produced 39% of global maize and 35% of global soybean and accounted for 49% and 46%, respectively, of total global exports in these commodities. It also contributed 17% of total global exports in wheat and 11% of total rice exports. A large disruption to U.S. production of these crops, as occurred during the U.S. drought of 2012, can have a substantial impact on international grain markets. In this opinion piece, we consider the severity of this drought event and the impact on grain prices in relation to previous droughts of similar magnitude and use this information to highlight priorities for global research on drought and crop productivity to help buffer against future climatic shocks to global food supply.