Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security

Presented by: Buba Khan Right to Food Coordinator-Africa @ Masea Hotel

Outline
1. General Background

2.

Concept of Climate change Causes Impacts

Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change: The Nexus

3.

Climate Change and Food Security

Global

Impacts on Africa and Gambia

4. Why ActionAid is concerned 5. Recommended Responses

International National Responses

What is Climate Change ?

Climate Change, sometimes referred to as Global Warming, is the change in the climate of the Earth. Climate change could be said to be a change in weather pattern across the globe that leads to increase in temperatures, which in turn bring about drastic climatic changes

It is the variation in the Earth's global climate or in regional climates over time. It describes changes in the variability or average state of the atmosphere over time scales ranging from decades to millions of years Climate change is said to be a resultant of changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases, which control radiation on planet earth, hence destabilizing natural weather patterns and leading to climatic imbalances

What is Climate change (cont)

The degree of carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen for example tend to go in inverse proportions and they are the key gases necessary for plant and animal life. The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the hotter the temperature becomes, leading to the phenomena of global warming, and the more the oxygen in the atmosphere, the cooler. The more carbon into the air, the more hostile the environment becomes and the bleaker the future of human kind shall be.

Exacerbating factors
Population growth Ongoing land degradation Deforestation Poverty Dependence on rain fed agriculture Lack of awareness by researchers & politicians

Urbanization Anthropogenic

Land use Aerosols

Greenhouse Gases

Reasons for Climate Change

Natural Variability
Solar Activity

Natural

Volcano
Land

Ocean

Climate change- Background

Larger Impact of Climate Change

Increased un reliability of rainfall, too little or too late or too much in a short time More droughts in intensity and time Drastic winds in the ocean leading to more cyclones, tropical storms etc Melting glaciers leading to sea level rise/ disappearance of Arctic Sea Ice Melting snow on the mountains leading to floods Desertification and more heat waves
Source: IPCC Assessment Report 4

Impact of CC on People and Resources

Water and Pasture Drought-affected areas around the world to increase Dry regions to get drier, and wet regions to get wetter Increased frequency of heavy precipitation to cause flood risk Water supplies stored in glaciers and snow cover to decline Increased conflicts among pastoral communities on limited water and pasture

Food Crop productivity to decrease in seasonally dry and tropical regions Increase in frequency of droughts and floods to affect local crop production Aquaculture and fisheries to be affected adversely More uncertainties on rain-fed agriculture
Coastal System Coasts will be exposed to increasing risks such as coastal erosion due to sea-level rise More coastal areas are projected to be flooded every year due to sea-level rise by 2080s and will lead to large scale migration

Crop failure because of low and erratic rainfall

CROPS

Impact of CC (cont)
Health Increased deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts. Increased malnutrition and consequent disorders, with negative implications for child growth and development Increase in water born diseases due to floods Soil Conservation More wind and water erosions due to floods and drought Less fertility due to loss of soil cover Tourism / Wild life Disappearance of snow caps, threatens tourist livelihoods Increased Human / Wild life conflicts

Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change: The Nexus

In much of Africa renewable natural resources are a means of livelihood. Agriculture the primary food producing sector is already under stress. Africa as one of the regions that is being/will be hardest hit by, and the most at risk from, the impact of climate change.
65% of increases in climate-related hunger to occur in Africa.

Intra-annual climate variability as well as longerterm climate change directly affect availability and stability aspects of food security. Disruptions in food availability and stability impact on food access and utilisation. Climate change hits hardest the most basic of the sectors; the poorest; and the least responsible for its acceleration . Given the large area under crops and rangeland in Africa, agriculture is likely to account for the Continents greatest contribution to global CC mitigation efforts.

I. The Nexus

Climate Change and Food Security

Agricultural impacts will be more adverse in tropical areas than in temperate areas. (Developed countries will largely benefit since cereal productivity is projected
to rise in Canada, northern Europe and parts of Russia.)

Climate variability is already the major cause of year-to-year fluctuations in production in both developed and developing countries Changes in seasonal distribution of rainfall, with less falling in the main crop growing season Concentration of rainfall into a smaller number of rainy events with increases in the number of days with heavy rain, increasing erosion and flood risks Food production and supply disruption through more frequent and severe extreme events. Most severely affected will be sub-Saharan Africa due to its inability to adequately adapt through necessary resources or through greater food imports.

Source: FAO, Committee on world food security, 2003

Climate Change and Food SecurityContd.

Increased heat stress to crop and livestock Maize production in Southern Africa could fall by more than 30% by 2030. In South Asia, production of regional staples as millet, maize and rice could decrease by at least 10%. A projected 2 3% reduction in African cereal production for 2020 is enough to put 10 million people at risk The largest reduction in cereal production will occur in developing countries, averaging about 10 percent (FAO study, 1996) 500 weather-related disasters are now taking place each year, compared to 120 in the 1980s. Number of floods has increased six-fold over the same period. In some countries in Africa yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020.

Source: FAO, Committee on world food security, 2003

 HEALTH IMPLICATION,RIFT VALLEY FEVER APPEARING AFTER MORE THAN 50 YEARS, MALARIA

Climate change and settlement

Destruction of Roads & Infrastructure

Destruction of Roads & Infrastructure

HEALTH

Climate change and Conflicts - Water and fodder availability

Climate Change and Food SecurityContd.

Over one billion people around the world are undernourished as they lack easy and consistent access to affordable food. Climate change is already affecting all four dimensions of food security:
food availability, food accessibility food utilization and food systems stability

Growing demand for bio-fuels is placing additional pressure on the natural resource base.

Climate Change Impacts in the Gambia

Droughts Floods Low and erratic rainfall pattern Drying of low land areas Salt intrusion-salinity Low soil fertility Reduction in yields Low income for farmers

Why ActionAid is concerned ?

Hitting the worlds poorest people and worst Threatens to undo the development gains Reflects and reinforces inequalities and is an issue of injustice Poorest countries have done least to contribute to the problem and have the fewest means to respond Rich countries are the major current and historical polluters Rich countries have an urgent obligation to cut their own emissions and to provide compensatory funding for the adaptation needs of the developing world

How to deal with CC?

Mitigation
Reduce the sources of emissions and enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases

Adaptation
Building systems and capacities to reduce the vulnerability of people and countries to respond to impact of climate change on them

Policy and programmatic measures for adaptation

Infrastructure investments to protect against asset and crop loss Empirical research to develop community based adaptation models Climate information and advisory services for agricultural and fishing communities Reliable and timely early warning systems Rapid emergency response capacity and social protection to absorb risks. Support adaptation of farming communities by strengthening their institutions, economy and enhancing access to credit, market, technology and training.

Recommendations (1)
Post-2012 Climate Change agreement must: provide substantial new and additional resources for climate change adaptation. recognize agriculture as a sector that is particularly vulnerable to climate change, and provide funding for adaptation strategies based on sustainable agricultural techniques that allow communities to combat hunger and realize their right to food. ensure the effective participation of poor and excluded communities in the governance of adaptation funding. support womens efforts to claim their rights.

Recommendations
For National Adaptation Planning on agriculture:

Adaptation strategies for climate change should be incorporated into all national policies and programmes related to food security and agriculture. Support communities efforts to realize the right to food and to ensure that most vulnerable groups are involved in development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of adaptation policies. Structural changes should be made in the design and implementation of adaptation programmes at country level to ensure adequate focus on food security. The changes must increase the resilience of smallholder farmers by enhancing their capacity to practice sustainable agriculture and by developing safety nets for climate risk management.

Recommendations contd
Public spending on agriculture should be enhanced and oriented towards improving agricultural infrastructure, inputs, irrigation services, market linkages, credit and national agricultural extension services supporting smallholder farmers.

The role of local authorities and civil society in developing, implementing and monitoring adaptation measures should be strengthened.

WAY FORWARD and Opportunities

Policy Advocacy
To operationalize the AU-framework on Climate Change mitigation and adaptation Reflect Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the ANR policy/national Agricultural investment plans- CAADP

Follow up and monitor International discourse around climate change

Next COP in Durban Ensure the implementation of sign treaties

Raise Awareness Build capacities Investment in Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture

Thank You