El Niño & Colombia

What does it mean to the Colombian flower industry?
Powered by FloraLife

Sometimes we hear mention of El Niño in the weather report and all of the effects it is having on the weather outside our front door, but have you ever wondered what is El Niño really? What does it mean for all of us and how it might impact the flower biz?

El Niño is a phase of a natural climate pattern (opposite of La Niña) occurring across the tropical Pacific Ocean that swings back and forth every 2-7 years on average. The length of these cycles is completely unpredictable, but the impacts on global weather patterns are undeniable. El Niño’s warmer waters influence weather patterns, for Colombia’s climate and environment, though it’s not certain what may develop, there are many possible scenarios of weather-related issues that can happen during an El Niño period. Here are some examples:

Drought

El Niño is often associated with reduced rainfall in Colombia, particularly in the northern and central regions. This can lead to drought conditions, which can have a severe impact on agriculture, water availability, and hydroelectric power generation. Reduced rainfall during El Niño can also increase the risk of wildfires.

Crop Failure

Drought conditions during El Niño can result in lower crop yields and even crop failures in some areas. Agriculture is a significant industry in Colombia, and reduced rainfall can lead to a decline in production, affecting farmers and the country’s economy as a whole.

Water Shortages

With decreased rainfall and drought conditions, water sources such as rivers, lakes, and reservoirs can experience lower water levels. This can lead to water shortages for both domestic and industrial use, affecting communities, businesses, and hydropower generation.

Temperature Extremes

El Niño events can also influence temperature patterns in Colombia. Some regions may experience higher temperatures than usual, which can affect human health, increase energy demand for cooling, and put additional stress on ecosystems.

Impact on Ecosystems

El Niño can disrupt marine ecosystems along the Pacific coast of Colombia. The warming of ocean waters associated with El Niño can result in changes to marine currents, affecting fish populations and leading to declines in fishing yields. Additionally, El Niño can cause coral bleaching events, affecting coral reefs and marine biodiversity.

These are all potential developments but nothing’s set in stone. The specific impacts of El Niño can vary greatly in magnitude and spatial distribution from cycle to cycle. While El Niño typically does bring drier conditions to Colombia, the severity and duration of the effects can vary with each occurrence.

What can we do?
It may seem like there isn’t much to do against the forces of nature but if we remain vigilant, monitoring and forecasting El Niño events can be the crucial difference for preparedness and timely response to mitigate any issues. FloraLife can help and below are our recommendations as the experts in flower care. For additional information or for tailor-made recommendations/protocols, contact your local FloraLife representative.

EL NINO EFFECTS COLOMBIA	CHALLENGES	SOLUTIONS OFFFERED BY FLORALIFE
LOW RAIN / DRAUGHT	Shortage of water for irrigation and use for postharvest.	Formulated hydration solutions can be used longer compared to non-formulated farm mixes: 7 days   – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms. – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival. – Service / Protocol – importance of following proper process / schedules / rate of uptake of treatments.
	Water quality – tending to change towards hard water with higher content / concentration of minerals.	Hard water hydration solutions – Technical service – need to create water quality baseline.  – FloraLife® Expreess 100 Hard Water. – FloraLife® Express Ultra 200 Hard Water upon arrival.
HIGH TEMPERATURES / DRY	Higher risk of dehydration.	Formulated hydration solutions for proper hydration – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms. – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival. – FloraLife® Quick Dip. – FloraLife® Shield Ultra at farms to condition flowers subject to higher stress in the supply chain ahead.
	Speed of growth process. Flowers ready sooner than expected / needed.	Storage protocol / products   – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms. – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival. – FloraLife® Shield Ultra at farms to condition flowers subject to higher stress in the supply chain ahead. – EthylBloc™ during storage and transport. – FloraLife® EthylGuard at farms. – FloraLife® Transport Paper. – FloraLife® Store and Transport Liners to wrap around flowers to help regulate their hydration without encouraging disease.
HIGH TEMPERATURE DELTAS	Speed of growth process. Flowers ready sooner than expected / needed.   Timing is difficult. Might mean playing safe and plan that flowers are available for harvest earlier.	Flexibility / Storage protocol / products   – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms. – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival. – FloraLife® Shield Ultra at farms to condition flowers subject to higher stress in the supply chain ahead. – EthylBloc™ during storage and transport. – FloraLife® EthylGuard at farms. – FloraLife® Transport Paper. – FloraLife® Store and Transport Liners to wrap around flowers to help regulate their hydration without encouraging disease.
	Possibility of condensation and botrytis.	– FloraLife® Transport Paper. – FloraLife® Store and Transport Liners to wrap around flowers to help regulate their hydration without encouraging disease.
HIGH LEVEL OF SUN LIGHT	Speed of growth process. Flowers ready sooner than expected/needed.   Timing is difficult. Might mean playing safe and plan that flowers are available for harvest earlier.	Flexibility / Storage protocol / products   – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival – FloraLife® Shield Ultra at farms to condition flowers subject to higher stress in the supply chain ahead. – EthylBloc™ during storage and transport – FloraLife® EthylGuard at farms – FloraLife® Transport Paper – FloraLife® Store and Transport Liners to wrap around flowers to help regulate their hydration without encouraging disease.
POSSIBILITY OF FROST DEC, JAN, FEB	Decision of harvesting earlier, store and don’t take the risk of flower burnt and not available for the market.	Storage protocol / products   – FloraLife® HydraFlor Ultra at farms. – FloraLife® Express 200 upon arrival. – FloraLife® Shield Ultra at farms to condition flowers subject to higher stress in the supply chain ahead. – EthylBloc™ during storage and transport. – FloraLife® EthylGuard at farms. – FloraLife® Transport Paper. – FloraLife® Store and Transport Liners to wrap around flowers to help regulate their hydration without encouraging disease.

For additional information or for tailor-made recommendations / protocols, contact your local FloraLife representative.

*Product availability depends upon geographical region.
Check https://floralife.com/products/#product_grid for more information.