Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security

Increasing temperatures and declining precipitation over the semi-arid regions are likely to reduce yields for corn, wheat, rice and other important crops over the next two decades. “Prioritizing Climate Change Adaptation Needs for Food Security in 2030”, a paper published by Nature reports that South Asia and Southern Africa, without sufficient adaptation measures, will suffer negative impacts of climate change on crops that are important to large food-insecure human populations.

The effects of climate change however can be prevented by employing adaptive measures. Investing in agricultural inputs like improved crop varieties and fertilizers can dramatically improve yield. The paper presented a crop priority list which includes millet, groundnut and rapeseed for South Asian and maize for Southern Africa. Improved local governance, increased agricultural subsidies and more nuanced food aid policy can also help reduce the impacts of climate change on food security.

Subscribers can read the paper at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/319/5863/607. Non subscribers can read the abstract at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/319/5863/607. A perspective article in reaction to the report is available at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/319/5863/580.