A G R I C U L T U R E

Food Security: The Impact of Drought and Floods

AUTHOR: Grace Kangotue ChiefResearcher/Economist@RDJConsulting

Courtesy:wwwwfporg

Food is one of the basic humans needs essential for a healthy, sustainable life Ensuring that people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is critical for survival and productivity The United States Agency for International Development defines food security as having both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. For people to be considered food secure, they must not live in hunger or under the fear of hunger Achieving this requires an efficient and productive agriculture sector, free from disturbances, capable of producing the necessary levels of output to satisfy the population at all times.

By 2050, the global population is expected to reach at least 9 billion To meet this growth adequately, global food production must increase by at least 60% However, climate change, projected to intensify as global temperatures rise above 2 degrees Celsius pre-industrial levels, poses a significant threat to food production

Climate change negatively impacts global temperatures, leading to increased droughts in some regions and commensurate increased flooding in others Both droughts and floods are detrimental to agricultural yields and farmers' incomes, affecting their quality of life In the absence of significant climate action, critical crop yields are expected to decrease by 5% to 30% between 2030 and 2050 This could lead to global food insecurity, with some areas more affected than others due to their geographical location and climatic conditions.

Exacerbated weather and climate conditions can result in crop failures, livestock losses, and price increases, making nutritious food inaccessible to vulnerable communities Floods can render nutritious food unsafe for human consumption due to water contamination. Furthermore, droughts, floods, and storms can damage water systems, affecting water availability and quality, which negatively impacts agricultural output

McKinsey & Company noted that African farmers are generally more vulnerable to the effects of climate change and variable yields than farmers in developed countries. African farmers have less access to resources needed to adapt to these effects, such as secure crop insurance, the ability to adjust what they plant, and irrigation

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre reported in April 2024 on the "Worsening drought triggers state of emergency across Southern Africa. " The Southern Africa region is experiencing rising temperatures and severe lack of rainfall, which started in Botswana in 2023 and gradually expanded across Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The agriculture sector in these countries is under threat, with water scarcity, food insecurity, and disease outbreaks being the main resulting effects. The governments of Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Namibia declareddrought‘statesofemergency’inearly2024.

In summary, climate change effects are threatening the agriculture sectors of developing countries and exposing their economies to food insecurity The implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies is crucial Now more than ever, it is time for intense implementation of actions towards combat these challenges

Readings:

https://www usaid gov/agriculture-and-food-security https://www.fao.org/hunger/en/ https://www usaid gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/ClimateAdaptation-for-Food-Water-Security pdf https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/ourinsights/how-will-african-farmers-adjust-to-changing-patterns-ofprecipitation https://go.ifrc.org/emergencies/6984/details https://www theeastafrican co ke/tea/science-health/zimbabwedeclares-drought-a-national-disaster-4577360#google vignette Government Gazette of the Republic of Namibia No.8370, (issued 22 May 2024 - State of Emergency National Disaster)