Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
stability of returns to farmers and the access to purchased food of both
farming and nonfarming poor people.
19.6.3 FOOD EMERGENCIES
Increasing instability of supply, attributable to the consequences of climate
change, will most likely lead to increases in the frequency and magnitude
of food emergencies with which the global food system is ill-equipped
to cope. An increase in human conflict, caused in part by migration and
resource competition attributable to changing climatic conditions, would
also be destabilizing for food systems at all levels. Climate change might
exacerbate conflict in numerous ways, although links between climate
change and conflict should be presented with care. Increasing incidence of
drought may force people to migrate from one area to another, giving rise
to conflict over access to resources in the receiving area. Resource scar-
city can also trigger conflict and could be driven by global environmental
change.
19.6.4 LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY
Agriculture is often at the heart of the livelihood strategies of these mar-
ginal groups; agricultural employment, whether farming their own land
or working on that of others, is key to their survival. In many areas, the
challenges of rural livelihoods drive urban migration. As the number of
poor and vulnerable people living in urban slums grows, the availability
of nonfarm employment opportunities and the access of urban dwellers to
adequate food from the market will become increasingly important drivers
of food security.
Livelihood groups that warrant special attention in the context of cli-
mate change include:
• Low-income groups in drought and flood-prone areas with poor food
distribution infrastructure and limited access to emergency response.
• Low to middle income groups in flood prone areas that may lose
homes, stored food, personal possessions and means of obtaining
their livelihood, particularly when water rises very quickly and with
great force, as in sea surges or flash floods.
