Invest in adaptive food systems to reduce effects of global warming

Invest in adaptive food systems to reduce the effects of global warming. PHOTO | POOL

By OTIENO PANYA More by this Author

The effects of climate change on food systems are felt differently depending on geographical location.

In Europe, crops traditional to the south such as maize, sunflower and soy, flourish at higher latitudes, leading to increased harvests. 

A slight rise in temperatures could result in an increase in wheat production at medium latitudes while lower latitudes record losses. 

In semi-arid and tropical regions, a temperature increase could result in reduced harvests for most of the crops save for the drought-resistant crops like sorghum, cassava and millet.

Cassava is the most produced cash crop by a wide margin. Africa’s production of cassava makes up a majority (63 per cent) of the global total despite the little attention given to it by most African governments.

According to Food and Agriculture Organisation ( FAO), food security exists only when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

Critical climate variabilities could affect food and nutrition security. 

The frequent change in climatic patterns has resulted in severe droughts and flooding, which have culminated in a decline in agricultural production levels downstream. 

Studies indicate that maize output is set to decrease by 10 per cent by 2055, mainly in Africa and Latin America, affecting more than 170 million small-scale farmers in those regions.

In Kenya, the production of wheat and maize has declined by 5.5 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively over the years. 

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change posits that by 2050 agricultural production needs must be increased by 60 per cent to meet the high food demand by the ever-increasing population. 

Climate adaptive food systems such as growing alternative crops, intercropping different crop varieties, use of drought tolerant seed varieties, employing irrigation and water harvesting techniques, crop insurance, early warning and monitoring systems, construction of dykes, changing planting dates, diversifying in and out of agriculture, reliance on safety nets and social networks could be used as a tool to mitigate the effects of future erratic climatic patterns. 

Based on the 2022 Climate Change Performance Index, Denmark is ranked as the country with the highest achievement in climate protection, followed by Sweden.

Denmark has achieved remarkable progress in the sustainable development of farming, food and its rural areas while ensuring food security through a competitive agri-food sector and continued modernization and digitalization, together with embracing high environmental and climate standards. 

It is incumbent upon policymakers within African governments to ensure that measures around food security aim to achieve sustainable and robust agricultural development, taking into consideration the need to improve nutritional quality.

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Climate adaptation policies promulgated must not only consider technological progress but must also pay attention to the traditional agricultural practices of small farmers and indigenous communities. 
Panya is a senior research fellow at the African Institute for Supply Chain Research.