Climate Change and Its Effects on Food Security in Africa

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue X, October 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Climate Change and Its Effects on Food Security in Africa

John, Wajim

 Department of Sociology, Federal University, Wukari, 200 Katsina-Ala Road, P.M.B 1020 Wukari, Nigeria

Abstract: – This paper determined climate change and its effects on food security in Africa. Climate change which is the change in average weather condition is one of the environmental drivers interacting with a food system. It will affect not only food production, but also food processing, distribution and consumption. Climate change is also among the most pressing challenges in current environmental policy. Climate change happens in different ways, ranging from increased climate variability and gradual changes in temperature and precipitation, to increased frequency and intensity of extreme events. Climate change will affect: availability of good quality water, habitats and species distribution, timing and length of growing season, distribution of agro-ecological zones, ecosystem stresses erosion by water and wind, acidification, salinization, biological degradation. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Qualitative secondary sources of data and ecological approach of environmental sociology were used for this scholarly paper. Amongst other recommendations, it is recommended that public awareness campaign should be carried out by government and Non-governmental organizations on the impacts of climate change on humans’ lives and food security.

Keywords: Climate change, food security, food production, food consumption, Africa

I. INTRODUCTION

Climate is the major determinant of agricultural productivity and it is instigated by both anthropogenic and natural sources. It was estimated that by the middle of the 21st century climate change impacts could reduce maize production in West Africa. It was also discovered that only cassava will be less affected by climate change because of its ability to achieve at least some yield in the worst weather years; flooding and cold conditions may substantially hamper food storage. The observed effects of past climate trends on crop production are evident in several regions of the world (Porter et al., 2014), with negative impacts more common than positive ones, including several periods of price spikes following climate extremes in key producing regions. There is evidence that climate change has already negatively affected wheat and maize yields in many regions and also at global level (Lobell, Schlenker and Costa-Roberts, 2011).

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