DELTA STATE UNIVERSITY, ABRAKA.

A SEMINAR WORK
ON

HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT FOOD SECURITY AND

RECOMMENDATIONS
BY

AKINMADE ISEOLUWA
FOS/SLT/11/12/204366

LEVEL: 400

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

Submitted to Community Research and Development Centre (CREDC)
Date: 5th November 2015.

1.0 Introduction

Climate change simply means changes in the earths climate while food
security is defined as all people at all times having both physical and economic
access to the basic food they need(UN COP 2007). Furthermore, food security has
broad components (WFS 1996). Food availability (consistently having enough
food), food access (having sufficient resources to get the food), food access
(having knowledge to use the food nutritiously).
However, food insecurity result from climate change, urban development,
population development and oil price shift. The concept of this seminar is to
evaluate how climate change affect food security.
Climate change result from the emission of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere. It was accepted that CO2 is the chief driver of climate change and
anthropogenic CO2 is the source.
Some fact about CO2

Each person generate 2.3 metric tons of CO2 per year.

A single trees can absorb CO2 rate of 48ib per year. While a young tree can
absorb 26ib of CO2 per year.

CO2 footprint of 18 average Americans can be neutralized by one acre of

hard trees

American forest estimated that 450 trees per acre.

Food is one of the societys key sensitive to climate. Without doubt, there is
evidence that climate change is already having a measurable effect on the
quality and quantity of food produced globally. If this phrase is generally
accepted, then, how does climate change affect food security?
A year of not enough or too much rainfall, a hot spell or cold snap at wrong
time like flooding and storms can have significant effect on local crop yield and

livestock production(Nicola2012). There are four channels by which climate

change affect food security (Brett 2012)
1.1

Temperature: high temperature lead to heat stress for plants, increasing

sterility and lowering overall productivity. High temperature also surges
evaporation from plants and soil thereby increasing water requirement and
lowering water availability. According to Stanford University study found that
increase in global production of maize and wheat would have been 5% higher if
not for drought.

1.2

Changing patterns: in many places, growing seasons are changing and

rainfall is becoming unpredictable, unreliable both in timing and volume. This
is leading to greater uncertainty, risk for farmers and potentially eroding the
value of traditional agricultural knowledge such as when to plant particular
crops. FAO in 2003 say the change in seasonality is attributed to climate
change. According to Akinmade 2015 say when a crop misses its planting
period, there will be decline in the availability of that crop. June report from
global sustainability Institute of Angelia Ruskin University found that by 2040,
food prices will be 4 times higher than they were in 2000. Currently, they are
twice as high as they were in 2000. Also, Nigerians spend 60-80% of their
income of food. How much would they spend on food by 2040?

1.3

Rising sea level: sea level rising contaminate coastal freshwater aquifer with
salt water. Several state are already having serious problems with water quality
which is affecting Agricultural productivity. Higher sea also make communities
more vulnerable to storm surges which can be 5-6m high. The storm surge from
Nargis travelled 35km inland, killed 140,000 people and flood around
14,400km, an area of 1/3 size of Switzerland. Who vest climate change the
power to rise and reduce sea level?

1.4

Water: the interaction between climate change, water scarcity and declines in
agricultural productivity could lead to regional tension and even open conflict
between states that are already struggling with water supplies due to population
growth and over-pumping of groundwater.

1.5

Flooding: flood decreases the amount of available land for farming and also
cut down production of crops. Nigeria lost 40 million hectares of land to flood
in 2012.

Finally, climate change causes new pattern of pests and diseases to emerge thereby
affecting plants, animals productivity which lead to food insecurity. U.N warmed
that warmer would push food prices higher, trigger hunger among worlds poorest
people and crunch on supplies of western delicacies like fine wine. Some scientists
suggested that increase in greenhouse gases will reduce the availability of some
vegetables, fruits and sea food. What then can we do to avoid these unavoidable
change?
According to Roosevelt, the future is literally in our hands to mold as we
like. But we cannot wait until tomorrow, tomorrow is now.

2.0 Solution to defect the effect of climate change on food security

Awareness program is imperative as reported by Agbogidi and Okafor 2007

Planting trees is the most cheapest and effective means of drawing excess
CO2 from the atmosphere; therefore afforestation and reforestation is
essential (Akinmade 2015)

Helping farmers in developing countries to adapt to climate change by

planting drought tolerant crops.

Best energy efficiency and renewable energy technology is crucial in order

to shift from fossil fuel(Akinmade 2015)

Eco-friendly Agricultural aids should be encourage to catalyze crops

productivity. (Akinmade 2015)

IPCC recommend that rich countries should reduce their emission by 2540% below 1990 level by 2020, while developing countries should reduce
their emission below their business as usual rate.

Deforestation must be discourage

Educating the future generation on energy efficiency and climate change

should be paramount(Akinmade 2015)

Environment should be allowed to guard our development (Rockstrom

2011).

Government should embark on innovative policy and finance mechanism

that reward conservation, restoration and eco-compensation(Akinmade
2015)

Conclusion
It is envisaged that if we could strictly adhere to the solutions listed above, the
effects of climate change on food security will greatly reduce and become a story
for the gods in centuries to come. The otherwise, the infuriation of climate change
will be bestowed on man which could lead to malnutrition, underweight and finally
to extinction. Lets act fast.

References

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Brett Harris Climate change is a contributory factor to the food price crisis, and its impact on
agriculture and food security in developing countries is expected to get more serious.
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David J. Wilson for the IPCC 5th Assessment Report (AR5)
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