Climate Change and Food Security

Introduction
Climate change has far-reaching effects on the access, availability, and production of
food. It affects all other aspects of food systems, including quality, stability, and utilization of
food. In recent decades, the world has been experiencing extreme weather-related disasters,
which have led to a decline in yields. Increased levels of carbon iv oxide in the atmosphere affect
crops’ nutritional value. The effect is being felt in both developed and developing countries, with
the latter experiencing more adverse effects than the former. It is important to understand how
climate change is affecting food security and what the future holds for the world. Developing
countries such as China and South Africa have been adversely affected by climate change and
adverse weather patterns, with food insecurity being an issue. Funding is being made to
developing countries by organizations such as World Bank, and the misappropirtaion of such
funds is the largest issue. As a result, strict conditions are put in place to safeguard these
resources even as policies to mitigate climate change are implemented.
Climate Change and Global Warming
The terms global warming and climate change raise incongruent interpretations and
attract attention to different elements of the changing climate across the world. Global warming
induces links with severe elements such as weather, changes in temperature, causes linked to
human beings, global concern, and a generally negative impact. On the contrary, the climate
change label implies changes in weather patterns in general and predicts a possibility of natural
fluctuations. It implies a possibility of consequences that are not related to heat, such as
increased precipitation.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 3
Research has shown that people hold varying beliefs, perceptions, as well as preferences
of global warming and climate change. Generally, there are highly reported beliefs that changes
in weather patterns are happening and will have adverse effects. Hite & Seitz (2021) use the
terms climate change, global warming, and greenhouse effect to refer to the relationship between
hydrological cycles, the temperature of the Earth, and ocean activity as a result of an atmospheric
increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The way in which the two authors use
these terms makes it difficult for a reader to draw distinct differences as they refer to almost the
same thing.
People tend to use global warming and climate change interchangeably because the two
terms have been coined to refer to different elements of the same phenomenon. According to
Gilbert Plass, climate change refers to a strong relationship between the Earth’s temperature,
climate, and carbon dioxide that has been in existence for years (Benjamin et al., 2017). On the
other hand, Broecker coined the team global warming to predict the effects of increased carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere on global temperatures (Benjamin et al., 2017). These different
explanations that refer to almost the same thing tend to confuse many people making them use
the terms interchangeably.
Climate Change and Credibility Issues
Global warming as a result of increased carbon iv oxide in the atmosphere is affecting
weather patterns. Oceans have in the recent past become warmer, and storms are now more
severe and frequent. The strength of hurricanes has increased because they derive energy and
moisture from warm surface waters in oceans. Severe storms imply that water surges have gone
up to 1-6 meters ((Fletcher & Smith, 2020). These surges present the greatest immediate danger
to coasts in low-lying areas. Hite & Seitz (2021) predicts that extreme weather events such as

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 4
violent thunderstorms and winter storms due to warmer seas are expected to increase wind
speeds and cause heavy precipitation.
Further, weather patterns are shifting, and this has led to some areas experiencing higher
amounts of rainfall than usual and others experiencing very little rainfall leading to droughts.
The Earth is warming, and rainfall patterns are modified. Seasons have changed notably, and
floods and storms are now more severe (Marlon et al., 2019). Rises in temperatures are causing
more moisture to enter the atmosphere leading to intense and damaging storms (Fletcher &
Smith, 2020). Remarkably, climatologists have not attributed any of these changes in weather
patterns. However, there is a general agreement that heavier rainfall, heat waves, and droughts
have become more prevalent in the last five decades, and global warming is likely to have led to
these changes.
Climate change predictions are founded on weather patterns observed and recorded over
a long period of time. These predictions are thus credible and accurate. For instance, data shows
that average temperatures have been on the rise throughout the year over different seasons,
including Winter. Besides, a report produced in 2013 revealed that climate change was
responsible for reduced maize and wheat yields, and food prices had spiked due to extreme
weather conditions in key regions that produce these foods. Thus, climate change predictions
should be taken seriously as they can help in planning and adequate preparations for the future.
Climate Change and Food Security in Developing Countries
Climate change is already having adverse effects on food production in South Africa. In
2014, Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, noted that climate change had had adverse
effects on food security in the country (Masipa, 2017). South Africa is the most food-secure

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 5
country in Africa. However, although there is food security at the national level, but the situation
is quite different at the household level. Most people in the country and especially those residing
in rural areas are adversely affected by climate change. Food deprivation is still prevalent in
these regions, and it is likely to worsen if climate change continues as food production is likely
to decline. 35% of South Africans are vulnerable to food insecurity. The government has been
given more backing in terms of funding to small-scale farmers in rural areas to enhance food
production and consequently enhance food security.
China is also a developing country that has experienced frequent natural disasters linked
to climate change. These events have affected agricultural production negatively. Extreme
weather events such as hail, droughts, and low-temperature disasters have been occurring
randomly in different parts of the country. China’s high frequency of natural disasters is
attributed to its poor ecological stability, climate fluctuations, and relatively complex
geographical environment (Guo et al., 2019). Production of rice, wheat, soybeans, and tubers has
reduced, affecting food security in the country. China has put in place mitigation strategies to
control climate change. These include increased use of non-fossil fuels and reduced emission of
carbon iv oxide into the atmosphere.
Financial Support, Aid Organizations, and Governments
Global food supply must increase significantly to meet the rising world demand. Data
shows that by 2050, the global population will be at 9.1 billion people, and that is a more than
30%increase. Most of the population increase is in developing nations. Thus, most of the food
production increase is necessary for developing countries. Budgetary resources in these countries
are limited. The world Bank and other multinational lending organizations such as UNICEF,
International Monetary Fund (IMF), and AID are working to build food systems in these

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 6
countries by financing major projects aimed at improving food production (The World Bank,
2022). The organizations partner with various governments to promote agriculture that is
nutrition-sensitive and consequently enhances food safety. USAID has also partnered with
private organizations in South Africa to help them come up with national strategies that enhance
food security.
In South Africa, IMF and the World Bank have been at the forefront in setting the policy
agenda. The financial institutions have a direct influence on the economic policy in South Africa.
They provide loans whose conditions have sometimes raised eyebrows due to the way they are
imposed on recipient countries (Ibnouf, 2018). However, issues of graft and misuse of loans and
public resources are prevalent in most developing countries. Thus, the conditions are necessary
to ensure that the loans and other monies received are spent well and that members of the public
actually benefit.
Summary
Overall, climate change is a global issue. Weather patterns have changed in the past few
decades, and this has affected food production. Extreme droughts due to reduced rainfall and
increased rainfall in some regions across the world have affected food production significantly.
Other extreme events such as floods destroy food and make certain lands unproductive. The
problem has been worse in developing nations which already struggle with limited resources.
Food security has thus been affected. Apart from climate change, another threat to food safety in
the developing world is an increase in the human population. With developing nations registering
a high rate of population growth, the problem of food insecurity is predicted to worsen,
considering the changing weather patterns. Countries such as China and South Africa are already
struggling with food insecurity. Financial lending institutions such as IMF have been partnering

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 7
with developing nations by financing projects aimed at enhancing food security. Most
importantly, food insecurity is a serious issue, and one way of addressing it is by taking climate
predictions seriously and planning accordingly before populations start starving.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SECURITY 8

References

Benjamin, D., Por, H. H., & Budescu, D. (2017). Climate change versus global warming: who is
susceptible to the framing of climate change? Environment and Behavior, 49(7), 745-770.
Fletcher, W. D., & Smith, C. B. (2020). Reaching Net Zero: What it Takes to Solve the Global
Climate Crisis. Elsevier.
Guo, J., Mao, K., Zhao, Y., Lu, Z., & Lu, X. (2019). Impact of climate on food security in
mainland China: A new perspective based on characteristics of major agricultural, natural
disasters and grain loss. Sustainability, 11(3), 869.
Hite, K. A., & Seitz, J. L. (2021). Global issues: an introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
Ibnouf, F. O. (2018). Impact of the World Bank and IMF Policies on rural women’s human rights
in sub-Saharan Africa. Agenda, 22(78), 28-41.
Marlon, J. R., van der Linden, S., Howe, P. D., Leiserowitz, A., Woo, S. L., & Broad, K. (2019).
Detecting local environmental change: The role of experience in shaping risk judgments
about global warming. Journal of Risk Research, 22(7), 936-950.
Masipa, T. (2017). The impact of climate change on food security in South Africa: Current
realities and challenges ahead. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 9(1), 1-7.
The World Bank. (2022). Food Security. The World Bank. Retrieved 10 February 2022, from
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/food-security.