Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
19.5 POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD
UTILIZATION
19.5.1 NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Food insecurity is usually associated with malnutrition, because the diets
of people who are unable to satisfy all of their food needs usually contain
a high proportion of staple foods and lack the variety needed to satisfy nu-
tritional requirements. Declines in the availability of wild foods, and limits
on small-scale horticultural production due to scarcity of water or labor
resulting from climate change could affect nutritional status adversely. In
general, however, the main impact of climate change on nutrition is likely
to be felt indirectly, through its effects on income and capacity to purchase
a diversity of foods.
19.6 POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON FOOD
SYSTEM STABILITY
19.6.1 STABILITY OF SUPPLY
Many crops have annual cycles and yields fluctuate with climate vari-
ability, particularly rainfall and temperature. Maintaining the continuity
of food supply when production is seasonal, is therefore challenging.
Droughts and floods are a particular threat to food stability and could bring
about both chronic and transitory food insecurity. Both are expected to
become more frequent, more intense and less predictable as a consequence
of climate change. In rural areas that depend on rainfed agriculture for an
important part of their local food supply, changes in the amount and tim-
ing of rainfall within the season and an increase in weather variability are
likely to aggravate the precariousness of local food systems.
19.6.2 STABILITY OF ACCESS
As already noted, the affordability of food is determined by the relation-
ship between household income and the cost of a typical food basket.
Global food markets mayexhibit greater price volatility, jeopardizing the
