Climate Change And Food Security
“Climate Change And Food Security” Climate change is anticipated to impede further advancements in global food security through, among other things, interrupted transportation networks, reduced food safety, and production disruptions that result in local availability restrictions and price rises.
Over time, the availability, accessibility, and stability of food can all be impacted by climate change. Food insecurity can result from restrictions at any stage of the food system’s operations, which include food production, transit, and storage.
Climate’s Role in Current Global Food Security:
By June 2022, there were 345 million acutely food insecure people across 82 nations, up from 135 million in 2019. This was due to supply chain disruptions, the ongoing economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the conflict in Ukraine driving up food costs to unprecedented levels.
The rise in global food insecurity was partly caused by climatic occurrences. Weather patterns are being affected by global warming, resulting in heat waves, torrential rains, and droughts. In low-income nations, rising food commodity costs in 2021 contributed significantly to the estimated 30 million extra individuals experiencing food insecurity.
On the other hand, a significant portion of the issue stems from the way food is now produced. According to recent estimates, the global food system is the main cause of methane emissions and biodiversity loss, accounting for around one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the energy sector.
Through policy and technological initiatives, as well as through scaling up support across the agriculture and food value chains, the World Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan (2021–2025) aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase productivity, and strengthen resilience in the agricultural sector. Along with managing flood and drought risks, the Bank assists nations in addressing food loss and waste. For instance, a project funded by the Bank in Niger intends to provide better, drought-tolerant seeds, more effective irrigation, and increased use of forestry for farming and conservation agricultural techniques to 500,000 farmers and pastoralists in 44 communes. As of right now, the project has brought 79,938 hectares of land under more sustainable agricultural practices and assisted 336,518 farmers in managing their property more sustainably.
Systems for agriculture will need to change in order to become more productive, more efficient in their use of inputs, more stable and less variable in their outputs, and more resistant to shocks, risks, and long-term climate variability.