Climate, Food Security and Agriculture

Climate change is already noticeable through extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, water scarcity and changes in rainfall patterns as well as greater CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Temperatures are rising, growing seasons are changing, and precipitation patterns are increasingly becoming more unpredictable. High rainfall variability in some months may have consequences for agriculture and other livelihood sectors, leading to food and nutrition crises.

The frequency, intensity and unpredictability of these climate hazards are already impacting staple crops worldwide and exacerbating existing vulnerabilities disrupting food production, food availability and crop productivity; increasing water scarcity and heat stress levels; altering food distribution infrastructure, increasing the incidence of food emergencies, changing livelihood assets and opportunities, as well as affecting human health in both rural and urban areas, among others.

Agriculture is important for food security because on the one hand it produces the food people eat; and on the other hand, it provides the primary source of livelihood for 36% of the world’s total workforce. In the densely populated regions of Asia and the Pacific, this share ranges from 40 to 50; and in sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds of the working population still make their living from agriculture. If agricultural production in the low-income developing of Asia and Africa is adversely affected by climate change, the livelihoods of large numbers of the rural poor will be put at risk and their vulnerability to food insecurity increased (FAO, 2007).

Therefore, strengthening resilience to climate change is key to address potential food security and agriculture crises. This may involve adopting practices that enable vulnerable people to protect existing livelihoods, diversify their sources of income, change their livelihood strategies, migration to other areas, or shifting consumption patterns, livelihood activities and food preparation.

The Climate, Food Security and Agriculture theme collects worldwide evidence within the science-policy-practice interface and offers the possibility to learn from different worldwide programmes, projects and practices in various geographical contexts enabling you to connect with various professionals from different sectors and backgrounds to share knowledge and experience.