Climate Change Threatens Food Security

Food security is affected by climate change because droughts, temperature fluctuations, wildfires, extreme weather events, pests, and floods can damage crops. This situation worsens a global food crisis that already affects staple crops such as rice, wheat, and maize.

Increasing malnutrition threatens the health and survival of women and children. It also affects people living with HIV who are on antiretroviral treatment, which depends on proper nutrition to be effective.

Researchers predict that rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns will reduce crop productivity in many vulnerable regions. In developing countries, hundreds of thousands of people could be left without the means to produce or purchase enough food.

Additionally, climate-related ecosystem changes make it harder to find certain food sources in nature, as communities are less able to locate places to hunt, fish, and gather.

However, simple initiatives can yield excellent results. In the village of Alikinkin, Niger, community gardens have become an oasis of beauty and a source of food. Thanks to these gardens, children are spared the worst effects of the food crisis.

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