How Will Changing Climate Patterns Affect Food Security in the Next Ten Years?

This article discusses the potential impact of changing climate patterns on food security in the next ten years. It explores the threats posed by climate change and the need for adaptation strategies. The article also provides insights from various studies and research articles on the topic.

HOW WILL CHANGING CLIMATE PATTERNS AFFECT FOOD SECURITY IN THE
NEXT TEN YEARS?
Student’s Name
Course
Date

1
Behnassi, Mohamed, Pollman, Olaff, and Gupta, Himangana. Climate Change, Food Security,
and Natural Resource Management: Regional Case Studies from Three Continents.
Switzerland: Library of Congress, 2019.
This book by Behnassi, Pollman, and Gupta provides three case studies on climate
change, food security, and shortage of natural resources as a result of population increase
and human activities on the planet earth. The authors have divided the book into three
sections, ith each section providing an in-depth analysis of the link that exists between
the climate change, food shortage, and the decline of natural resources as a product of
human activities and damage to the ozone layer. The authors discuss that the future of
food security is vulnerable, considering the fact that a significant number of developed
countries in Asia and Europe have failed to create mechanisms that will strike a balance
between the dwindling natural resources such as loss of soil nutrients and the increasing
global temperatures.1
The authors of this book conclude that the future of food security is vulnerable because of
the rising soil degradation and loss of biodiversity. Africa is taken as a region of interest
where there has been little concern on conservation of forests. According to Behnassi et
al., the vision 2030 will not be realized, considering that there has been an increase in the
level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
1Behnassi, Pollman, and Gupta. Climate Change, Food Security, and Natural Resource
Management: Regional Case Studies from Three Continents. 29.
2. Chen, Bruce, and Thayer. “Climate Change and Food Security: Threats and
Adaptation,” 69.

2
Chen, Junyi, McCarl, A., Bruce, and Thayer, Annastacia. “Climate Change and Food Security:
Threats and Adaptation.” In World Agricultural Resources and Food Security, 2017, 69-
84.
This peer-reviewed research article published in the World Agricultural Resources and
Food Security in 2017 reveals the reason why the developed and developing world
economies should be worried about the future of the global food security. The three
researchers reviewed studies on the drivers of climate change which include the rising
level of carbon dioxide, precipitation levels, the ozone gas, and the extreme event
frequencies in the atmosphere. Among the discussed characteristics that postulate the
inevitable crisis in food security include more frequent droughts, many hot days and
fewer cold days, and the increased rainfall intensity.2
Chen, McCarl, and Thayer explain that the world is experiencing inevitable rising global
temperatures that have led to a decrease in crop yield from agricultural productions, a
higher demand for water for irrigation, and rising incidents of pests and crop diseases.
The finding from this study reveals that the intersection of direct and indirect drivers of
climate change poses a direct threat to the global food security around the globe,
considering that many countries have failed to develop suitable mechanisms associated
with climate change. Among the observed and expected changes in food systems include
the drop in crop yield, livestock, and fishery production systems. The frequency of
extreme events such as rainfall intensity, hurricanes, and droughts are also likely to make
it impossible for many economies to produce and sustain enough foods for their
populations. The researchers conclude that the food systems around the world will be
2

3
altered differently, due to the manner in which different foods respond to the climate
change conditions.
Kumar, Manoj. “Impact of climate change on crop yield and role of model
for achieving food security.” Environmental Monitoring Assessment, 2016.
In this peer-reviewed research article titled “Impact of climate change on crop yield and
role of model for achieving food security,” Manoj provides an analysis of the relationship
that exists between the climate change and food production with a key focus on food
security at the global level. According to Manoj, climate change has interfered with the
pattern of food production where farmers are opting for agricultural methods of
production that are not consistent with the natural resources such as soil fertility.3 Kumar
explains that the global temperature has risen by 0.8oC and is projected to rise by two to
seven degrees centigrade by the end of this century. The primary cause of these changes
has been attributed to climate change and an increase in the depletion of ozone layer due
to industrial activities.
The article by Kumar successively shows that the future of global food security is at stake
and that there is a need for early intervention to cope with the looming danger. The
impact of climate change on agriculture has been studies in relation to water availability,
prevalence of crop diseases and loss of soil fertility. The limitation of the article is that it
only focuses on crop production while ignoring other aspects of food security such as
fisheries and livestock productions.
3Kumar, “Impact of climate change on crop yield and role of model
for achieving food security,” 2.

4
Myers, S., Samwel, Smith, R., Matthew, Guth, Sarah, Golden, D., Christopher, Vaitla, Babtu,
and Huybers, Peter, “Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts on
Food Security and Undernutrition.” Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 2017, 259-277.
The research article titled “Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts
on Food Security and Undernutrition” provides an analysis of the potential impact of
climate change on nutrition from the healthcare perspective. In this study, Myers et al.
carried out a qualitative study to determine the impact of climate change on food nutrition
and the supply of food at the global level. The reviewed studies revealed that the climate
change alters the relationship that exists between crops, livestock, and fish and their
respective environments.4 Some of the impacts include the decline in the pollinating
insects, water scarcity, animal and crop diseases, and a drop in fisheries. The researchers
use statistical evidence to explain the changes that have taken place in global temperature
and the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.
This study conclusively proves that the world is facing a looming food crisis in the
coming ten years. The fact that climatic changes are affecting water availability, soil
fertility, and the elevated CO2 levels is a clear indication that global food systems are at
stake. The limitation of this study is that it used computerized models to forecast the
relationship between climate change and crop production. While this forecast provides a
theoretical overview of the anticipated problem, the study could have provided
satisfactory findings if the researchers could have used practical data from the global
level.
4Myers, S., Samwel, Smith, R., Matthew, Guth, Sarah, Golden, D., Christopher, Vaitla,
Babtu, and Huybers, Peter, “Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts on
Food Security and Undernutrition, ” 273.

5
Tai, P., K., Amos, Maria, Val., and Heald, L., Collette. “Threat to Future Global Food Security
from Climate Change and Ozone Air Pollution.” Nature Climate Change, 2014.
This research article titled “Threat to Future Global Food Security from Climate Change
and Ozone Air Pollution” investigated the effects of climate change on food security. A
simulation of the 2050 projections on the global climatic changes and the relationship to
the food production was carried out and analyzed using the ANOVA test. After analyzing
the potential impact of climate change on food production in the six regions of Asia,
Africa, Europe, East and South Asia, and the Americas, the researchers found that the
climate change has intensified the frequency of natural disasters around the world
including the rising sea levels that deplete fertile lands leading to direct adverse impact
on the quantity and quality of agricultural productions.5 Changes in intensity and
frequency of rain patterns will interfere with global supply by placing many people in
danger of famine.
This article provides convincing background information that the world will face
significant food shortage in the next ten years. Climate change has affected and is
expected to continue affecting the quantity and quality of food available for the global
population. A significant area of concern is on how the global population is affected by
the rising global temperatures that are causing desertification, loss of soil fertility, and a
decline in rain-fed agricultural activities. Tai et al. have conclusively proved that climate
change is the reason for the decline of food productions and variations in production
patters. High temperatures and changes in CO2 concentrations have sparked changes in
natural disasters that have interfered with soil fertility and rainfall distribution.
5Tai, Maria, and Heald, “Threat to Future Global Food Security from Climate Change and
Ozone Air Pollution,” 19

6
Yadav, S., Shyam, Redden, J., Robert, Hatfield, L., Jerry, Ebert, R., Andrews, and Hunter,
Danny, Food Security and Climate Change. Chennai India: Willey and Sons Publishers,
2019.
The book Food Security and Climate Change by Yadav et al. discusses the relationship
that exists between climate change and agriculture in view of food security. The
researchers review anthropogenic factors as the primary cause of climate change at the
global level. According to the discussion presented in this book, the rising temperatures
in higher latitudes will trigger disasters such as floods and high rates of
evapotranspiration from plants and crops. The overall impact of these changes on the
agricultural production is famine and malnutrition as the world population is projected to
reach nine billion by 2050. The study presented in the book reveal that climate change
has already reduced the global supply of maize and wheat by 3.8% and 5.5%
respectively.6 Additionally, the discussion in this book reveals that changes in rainfall
distributions and patterns are likely to cause significant changes in food distribution due
to changes in soil fertility in areas that were initially productive in terms of agricultural
productions.
Yadav, Redden, Hatfielf, Ebert, and Hunter have proved that climate change is
associated with increase in global temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns. These
changes cause stress on the available land for agriculture and food supply, making it
impossible for people to access safe and reliable food. There are cases where people are
forced to clear the forested lands to compensate stress from climate changes. Even though
farmers are shifting to irrigation to compensate rainfall, the future of agriculture is at
stake as because of insufficient food supply from artificial sources of water.
6Yadav, Redden, Hatfielf, Ebert, and Hunter, Food Security and Climate Change, 122

7

8

9
Bibliography
Behnassi, Mohamed, Pollman, Olaff, and Gupta, Himangana. Climate Change, Food Security,
and Natural Resource Management: Regional Case Studies from Three Continents.
Switzerland: Library of Congress, 2019.
Chen, Junyi, McCarl, A., Bruce, and Thayer, Annastacia. “Climate Change and Food Security:
Threats and Adaptation.” World Agricultural Resources and Food Security, 2017, 69-84.
http://dl114.zlibcdn.com/download/article/66318426?
token=10d1857df31860d90458573c16398c4e. Accessed 10 Sept. 2019
Kumar, Manoj. “Impact of climate change on crop yield and role of model
for achieving food security.” Environmental Monitoring Assessment, 2016.
http://dl123.zlibcdn.com/download/article/59930475?
token=f76e67914ccb25893cb44d6d75b2d444. Accessed 10 Sept. 2019
Myers, S., Samwel, Smith, R., Matthew, Guth, Sarah, Golden, D., Christopher, Vaitla, Babtu,
and Huybers, Peter, “Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts on
Food Security and Undernutrition.” Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 2017, 259-277.
Accessed 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-
publhealth-031816-044356,
Tai, P., K., Amos, Maria, Val., and Heald, L., Collette. “Threat to Future Global Food Security
from Climate Change and Ozone Air Pollution.” Nature Climate Change, (2014),
Yadav, S., Shyam, Redden, J., Robert, Hatfield, L., Jerry, Ebert, R., Andrews, and Hunter,
Danny, Food Security and Climate Change. Chennai India: Willey and Sons Publishers,
2019.