FOOD SECURITY AND THE CHANGING CLIMATIC PATTERNS IN POST 20TH CENTURY ERA

From man’s earliest days through various civilizations to present times, one inalienable truth remains that food has and will always be crucial to his survival. With a wide array of families and categories such as cereals, vegetables and fruits to choose from, they do not only meet our hunger needs but also provide the essential nutrients which the body needs to function well and be protected from any possible sicknesses.

However, these food crops which serve as raw materials used to prepare the various foods we consume require natural agents such as adequate sunshine, water and air to be able to grow and be used by man. As reservoirs of food nutrients, food crops undeniably cannot be substituted and a cut in their supply will not inure to the advantage of its consumers – humans and by extension, animals. This shows the relationship between food crop cultivation and climate. It is therefore important to understand the changing patterns in global climatic conditions and their implications on food security across trans-national borders.

Climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular – change apparent from the mid to late 20^th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. The United Nation’s report on climate change recently showed that 2014 was the hottest year on record and 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all occurred in the 21st century. It also stated that sea levels continue to rise, Arctic sea-ice is retreating, and there are more severe weather events, including extended droughts and floods.

continuous melt down of the arctic sea

Apparently, the world has experienced very harsh climatic conditions in the last four to five decades than ever before in history. Global climate change influences all aspects of our daily lives, and it will for many years to come. Although not all aspects of climatic change are negative, most sectors will need to find ways to deal with the effects. One of the areas at high risk is agriculture and food security.

Against this backdrop, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was founded in 1988 conducted studies into how the changing climatic patterns impeded food security. The results of the study revealed that worsening climatic challenges has and will continue to increase the risk of reduced crop productivity associated with heat and drought stress.

Rightly so, the panel also projects that the effects of climate change will lead to massive decline in crop production by 2030. For instance, in parts of Brazil, they estimate that rice and wheat yields could decline by a whopping 14%. The story is no different in other continents such as Africa where agriculture still remains largely agrarian.

Furthermore, this phenomenon has culminated into food shortage in many parts of the world especially because it is increasingly becoming difficult to meet the high demand for food. Poor rainfall patterns and high heat levels have all adversely affected food production and have allowed for alternative food production mechanisms to be explored by experts and global leaders. Organic foods for example, are gradually being modified genetically to supplement what farmers produce.  

Debate on this subject has however been greeted with a lot of criticism especially in less developed countries like Ghana where technology and literacy is relatively low. In light of this, world agencies such as the IPCC have advocated for the management practises like irrigation optimisation and fertiliser optimisation to boost natural food production processes across the world.

Asides the above efforts, the United Nations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is spearheading the battle against climate change and its consequence on food production and food security to end hunger and starvation in most parts of the world. The IPCC report found, however, that there is still time to limit climate change, provided that action is taken now. There will be costs to taking action, but action now will be far less expensive than it will be in future years.

Many still remain unsure of the safety of the foods they consume as long as the problem of climate change hangs menacingly over the heads of several governments. From the raw food crops in the farm to the semi-packaged ones in the supermarkets, the health risks abound further deepening calls to conserve the natural environment.

We hope for improvements in the situation in the foreseeable future but until then, food security will continue to be a major concern for all of humanity.

by: Emmanuel Agorsor