The impact of climate change on food security

There are 690 million people living with food insecurity in the world. These people do not have regular access to the food they need to grow, develop, and lead an active, healthy life.

Food insecurity occurs in cases where food is not available or when the resources necessary to obtain it are not available. For example, in cases where farmers who live off the land cannot graze the field. The factors that influence this situation range from political causes to commercial interests, wars and armed conflicts, pandemics or natural disasters.

Undoubtedly, one of the causes that most affect food production and, consequently, food security, is climate change.

Floods, droughts, heat waves and storms are phenomena that have intensified in recent years as a result of the increase in greenhouse gas emissions caused by climate change.

The climate crisis has a special impact on the increase in hunger in the world and is one of the main causes of food crises, as pointed out by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The effects of climate change on food also have serious effects on malnutrition and could affect millions of children by 2050.

Agencies such as FAO and entities such as Action Against Hunger and other humanitarian organizations are working to alleviate the situation. In africa’s Sahel region, one of the hardest hit by the climate crisis and hunger, artificial intelligence and satellite-collected data are used to detect the best pastures among drought; this has an impact on food security, as access to the livelihoods of millions of people is facilitated.

Thanks to this type of initiative, the rate of malnutrition in the world has fallen from 18% to 11% in the last ten years. Currently, an estimated 63 developing countries have met the Sustainable Development Goal: Zero Hunger.

However, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) warns that if we do not act more forcefully, 600 million more people could go hungry by 2080 as a result of the impact of climate change.

Effects of the climate crisis

Climate change causes heat waves, longer and more intense periods of drought, floods, storms, etc. These phenomena occur as a consequence of global warming, an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface over long periods of time.

The effects of climate change severely affect access to food. It costs more to access them, produce them in a stable way and, therefore, this prevents maintaining eating habits and offering the care and health practices of the most vulnerable populations.

This is because the phenomena derived from climate change destroy crops, impoverish the soil and cause food prices to rise. In addition, they are often related to increased pressure on natural resources and, in particular, to access to drinking water, which has serious consequences for people’s health.

Some populations find themselves without access to food and deprived of their livelihoods. When the situation becomes too dire, people have no choice but to move to other places to survive. They are the so-called “climate refugees” and could reach 143 million by 2050, according to World Bank data.

Three regions of the world are particularly affected by this forecast: sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America. In the latter case, a study by Action Against Hunger reveals that 9 out of 10 families have difficulty accessing correct food in the Dry Corridor of Central America. In addition, the region must also cope with the effects of the pandemic.

Africa, the most affected

Countries at higher risk of extreme weather events consequently have a greater number of undernourished people, especially in areas where the population depends on local agriculture. Most of these countries are located in developing areas and are highly vulnerable to the effects of extreme events such as cyclones or hurricanes, floods and prolonged droughts.

Currently, 183 million people are in a situation of food stress. And of these, 71% are distributed in about thirty countries in Africa. Particularly serious is the situation in the countries of the Horn of Africa and southern Africa, which are severely affected by climatic phenomena.

For example, forecasts for the 2021 lean season in the Sahel are alarming: the number of people at risk of food insecurity has tripled in just two years, bringing the figure to more than 29 million in the region. Emergency populations requiring immediate action have increased almost eightfold since 2019 and are estimated at more than 811,000 individuals.

“The Sahel is a clear example of the three factors involved in generating hunger: conflicts, the effects of climate change on crops and livestock, and the impact of COVID-19 on fragile economic and social systems. This will result in a serious nutritional crisis this summer and we will have to mobilize additional resources to respond to it,” says Manuel Sánchez Montero, director of Advocacy and Institutional Relations of Action Against Hunger.

Source: The Vanguard