A devastating problem that's getting worse

In the United States, floods and droughts together have done damage worth an estimated $340.4 billion since 1980. And farmers and ranchers are among the most affected, as floods and droughts devastate livestock, crops, and soil.

Taxpayers share in the burden through subsidized federal crop insurance programs. Insurance payouts due to floods or droughts totaled $38.5 billion between 2011 and 2016—and that bill is expected to keep rising as climate change brings more extreme weather.

The impacts of these disasters aren't confined to farmers or the taxpayers who insure them. Communities located downstream from farming regions feel the effects as well, as floods damage homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

Spongy soils to the rescue

Farmers can't make it rain—or make it stop. But they can do things to make their land less vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather.

Over the past several decades, agriculture has moved increasingly toward systems dominated by a few annual crops—typically corn and soybeans—often with fields left bare between growing seasons. This trend has degraded soil structure, leaving it less like a sponge and more like concrete, which exacerbates the damage done by floods and droughts. To combat these impacts, farmers have tried options such as investing in irrigation equipment or drainage systems. But these aren't always long-term solutions, and they can have damaging effects of their own.

There's a better way: get to the root of the problem by building healthier soils with a sponge-like ability to hold water. Several farming practices have been linked to improved soil health, and they share one thing in common: they keep plants with living roots in the soil year-round.