Farmers pay an extra 5% to insure a bag of seed, fertiliser or other things like herbicide against crop failure.

ECONOMIST: Insuring crops with a mobile phone

In Zimbabwe , a minister in President Robert Mugabe's government admitted that the forcible seizure of mostly white-owned farms had contributed to the current massive crop failure in the country.

ECONOMIST: A grand illusion

While none have been truly catastrophic, Valenzuela noted, as the demand for tequila from the U.S. and other markets continues to grow, the threat of serious crop failure does as well.

FORBES: The Science of Tequila (Snobbery)

Traders bought and sold 'future' contracts - an agreement to buy coffee, say, in three months time at a certain price - protecting themselves from the worry that a crop failure might drive up the price of coffee in the intervening months.

BBC: Hedging - a rough guide

In her book, Tequila: A Natural and Cultural History which she co-wrote with Gary Nabhan, she detailed her concerns that the demand for tequila and the industrialized approach to production have exposed the blue agave to dangers that could potentially lead to crop failure.

FORBES: The Science of Tequila (Snobbery)

One of Bangladesh's key problems, conversely, along with its perennially flaky batting order, has been its failure to develop a crop of consistent seamers.

WSJ: Bangladesh Cricket Team Bruised After Tour of Zimbabwe

Here, then, is a retrospective look at some of the scariest side effects to crop up over the past 12 months--from rare events like liver failure or brain-wasting diseases to more common ones such as heart attacks or strokes.

FORBES