Connecting the dots: Understanding climate impacts on food security and hunger

[Dead_Parrot]

At present, close to one billion people suffer from hunger. Experts agree that there is a high risk of climate change affecting food security at the global level, with the most negative impacts in the poorest and most vulnerable countries. The additional risk of climate change could put several hundred million at risk of food insecurity over the next decades.

But even in today’s climate, food insecurity as a result of weather and climate events is a serious issue. Extensive droughts and deep food security crises affecting parts of East Africa as well as the emerging crisis in West Africa remind us of this.

In 2011, the drought in East Africa threatened the livelihoods of 9.5 million people, and forecasts of poor rainfall suggest that millions could be at risk again in parts of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. At the same time, food shortages associated with poor rainfall in West Africa could also affect millions of people and their livelihoods over the next few months.
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However, to be effective, these efforts require a better understanding of the food security impacts of climate change, especially the impacts on food security beyond changes in staple crop production. This is why the World Food Programme and the Met Office Hadley Centre are combining their expertise with the aim of improving climate change and food security analysis that can help inform decision makers in responding to the risks we face.

More: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/solutions-for-a-hungry-world/connecting-the-dots-understanding-climate-impacts-on-food-security-and-hunger