CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY
Climate change (Global warming) and Food security have been tagged a very disturbing development. This development has been as a result of increased concentrations of Green House gases (CO2, CH4, H2O and N2O) in our atmosphere. Food security is the availability at all times of adequate world food supplies of basic food stuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices.
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Food security (one of the world's pressing issue) is a complex problem given interdependence's and interconnections in a global food system that is fundamentally dependent on soil, precipitation/water availability, climate and a host of services the earth provides which is at the same time influenced by trade. Food security incorporates a measure of resilience to future disruption or unavailability of critical food supply due to various risk factors including; undernourishment, Population growth, Climate change alongside with water scarcity extreme poverty, shipping disruptions, economic instability fuel shortages inadequate food distribution, and government policies that inhibit trade together pose significant challenges of achieving a global food security.
Climate Change is the significant and lasting changes in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from weeks to decades or longer. It reflects changes in average weather conditions or in the distribution of weather around the average conditions (i.e.; more or fewer extreme weather events). Current understanding on how increasing atmospheric Green House Gases affects average temperature is greater than understanding precipitation changes, although shifts in temperature, precipitation and water resources (among other effects) resulting from climate change are becoming more evident. Climate Change will have a number of effects on agriculture including;
*Direct effects: From changes in temperature, precipitation and CO2 concentration. For example, with increasing average temperature, crop-water demands will likely increase as this will put stress on livestock. In some regions precipitation intensity will increase affecting soil quality and reducing young plant survival among others issues. Furthermore, incidence of weather extremes will increasingly affect agricultural systems. With higher incidence of hot nights, increasing incidences of extreme storms and with change in maximum number of consecutive dry days and temperature extremes.
*Indirect effects: This includes changes in weed diseases and insect population and distribution. For example, C3 (carbon monoxide) plants which respond well to increased CO2, increased northward expansion of weeds are predicted which will increase Cost of managing pests and increase crop losses. Additionally, increasing drought incidence can disrupt the biotic resistance of native species, while fire will favor succession and survival of invasive species. Addressing hunger might be achieved with the current technologies, and with advanced biotech possibly used to address future productivity requirements especially given the growing numbers of global population whose income is rising. Besides future technologies might increasingly emphasize agro-ecological practices e.g. integrated pest management and integrated nature resource management coupled with decreased post-harvest losses and food waste.Moreover, advanced bio-technologies maybe needed to address future demands for increased productivity and emerging issues such as Climate Change, new plant and animal pest, but risk and benefits must be fully understood.
In addition, Food security can be improved by honoring comparative advantage, enabling Zambia, African and the Globe at large to realize its food production potential, reforming bio-fuel mandate, leveraging technology between public and private sector. Furthermore, farms have to simultaneously cut Greenhouse gas emissions, natural leakage, reduce and replace fossil energy, improve biodiversity and still be profitable enough to economically sustain the long term. Additionally, conservative agriculture is never an anti-mechanization system. Instead of ploughing opt for a ripper, and the likes Slash and Burn must stop. Conservative agriculture is the future of a sustainable agriculture system, which is proven to be much more environmentally friendly and it is amazing how this system works.
Therefore, global agriculture could contributed less to climate change if farmers were to maintain and enhance ecosystem services. Through the research, the researcher noted that in the next 20-50 years food security in the country and globe will intensify and demand for food will increase rapidly, Climate change will further exacerbate the risks facing agriculture in the globe, which is dominated by small scale farmers with very few assets and limited capacities to adapt. To this a vibrant agriculture sector will be needed to feed the world stimulate growth and ensure equal access to food.Climate change that will occur through the 2030s is inevitable due to inertia in the climate system.
With climate change mitigation, currently projected changes may be significantly reduced beyond that time. Besides, to respond to climate change a need exists to integrate agriculture economics, environmental and social sustainability into policies or rather practices. To study some of the effects of climate change on food security, and to better understand the cascading consequences of climate change and food security, a report will begin by looking at the areas of intersection between Food security and climate change. In addition, investigation on Zambian's and Africa's climate and food security, the report will also consider the influence that these effects have on a global market and food system.
Supporting the agriculture sector is essential for a global goal of eradicating hunger and tackling the challenges of climate change.
