Impacts of Climate Change on Food Security in Ethiopia: Adaptation and Mitigation Options: A Review

SUMMARYStudies on climate impacts and related adaptation strategies are becoming increasingly important to counteract the negative impacts of climate change. In Ethiopia, climate change is likely to affect crop yields negatively and therefore food security. However, quantitative evidence is lacking about the ability of farm-level adaptation options to offset the negative impacts of climate change and to improve food security. The MarkSim Global Climate Model weather generator was used to generate projected daily rainfall and temperature data originally taken from the ECHAM5 general circulation model and ensemble mean of six models under high (A2) and low (B1) emission scenarios. The FAO AquaCrop model was validated and subsequently used to predict maize yields and explore three adaptation options: supplemental irrigation (SI), increasing plant density and changing sowing date. The maximum level of maize yield was obtained when the second level of supplemental irrigation (SI2), which is the application of irrigation water when the soil water depletion reached 75% of the total available water in the root zone, is combined with 30 000 plants/ha plant density. It was also found that SI has a marginal effect in good rainfall years but using 94–111 mm of SI can avoid total crop failure in drought years. Hence, SI is a promising option to bridge dry spells and improve food security in the Rift Valley dry lands of Ethiopia. Expected longer dry spells during the shorter rainy season (Belg) in the future are likely to further reduce maize yield. This predicted lower maize production is only partly compensated by the expected increase in CO2 concentration. However, shifting the sowing period of maize from the current Belg season (mostly April or May) to the first month of the longer rainy season (Kiremt) (June) can offset the predicted yield reduction. In general, the present study showed that climate change will occur and, without adaptation, will have negative effects. Use of SI and shifting sowing dates are viable options for adapting to the changes, stabilizing or increasing yield and therefore improving food security for the future.

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Role of Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques in Sustainable Land Management: Achieving Food Security and Mitigating Impacts of Climate Change

World Soil Resources and Food Security ◽

10.1201/b11238-12 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 359-432

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Security ◽

Land Management ◽

Sustainable Land Management ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Vulnerability to impacts of climate change on marine fisheries and food security

Marine Policy ◽

10.1016/j.marpol.2017.05.011 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 83 ◽

pp. 55-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Qi Ding ◽

Xinjun Chen ◽

Ray Hilborn ◽

Yong Chen

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Security ◽

Marine Fisheries ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Cereal Production and Food Security in Bangladesh

Climate Change and Food Security in South Asia ◽

10.1007/978-90-481-9516-9_28 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 459-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Ghulam Hussain

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Security ◽

Cereal Production ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

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Impacts of Climate Change on Groundwater Recharge & Discharge in Water Scarce Region: A Case Study of the Ubar/ Shisr Agricultural Region of Oman.

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-6577 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alaba Boluwade ◽

Asma Al-Mamani ◽

Amna Alruheili ◽

Ali Al-Maktoumi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Food Security ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Irrigation System ◽

Primary Objective ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Irrigated Agriculture ◽

Agricultural Region ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change

&#160;*Correspondence: [email protected]Abstract: The primary objective of this study was to quantify the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge using the 3D numerical-based HydroGeoSphere (HGS) model in the Ubar/ Shisr Agricultural region in South of Oman. This region has multi-million US dollar irrigated agriculture project purposely developed for the food security of the country. Excessive abstraction of groundwater for irrigation use (using the center pivot irrigation system) has contributed to the &#8220;drying-up&#8221; of several groundwater wells located in this area. Therefore, there is an urgent need to characterize the long-term sustainability of this agricultural project under a changing climate. HGS model was calibrated on both steady and transient states using selected monitoring wells located within the study area (approximately 980-km2). The coefficient of determination (R2) for the steady-state performance was 0.93 while the transient state performances correctly reproduced the seasonality for each monitoring well. A transient-based calibrated version of the HGS model, using 30-year historical observations (1980-2018) was termed &#8220;Reference&#8221; while model configurations were developed for the immediate climatic projection (period: 2020 &#8211; 2039) based on two Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP): - RPC4.5 and RCP8.5 extracted from the World Bank Knowledge portal. These two configured models (scenarios) were evaluated for monthly transient simulations (2020-2039). From the total hydraulic head (THH) fluctuations standpoint, there were reductions when compared with &#8220;Reference&#8221; for all the scenarios with up to 20% THH reductions for groundwater well levels under persistent seasonal agricultural activities. This study is very important in quantifying the trade-offs and synergies involved between sustainable water management and food security initiatives, especially for an arid climate.Keywords: groundwater recharge; climate change, hydrogeologic modeling; Sultanate of Oman

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The Threats to Food Security

Food for All in Africa ◽

10.7591/cornell/9781501743887.003.0004 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 61-84

Author(s):

Gordon Conway ◽

Ousmane Badiane ◽

Katrin Glatzel

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Food Security ◽

Greenhouse Gases ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Rural Livelihoods ◽

Farm Household ◽

Impacts Of Climate Change ◽

Socioeconomic Challenges

This chapter explores threats to food security. It reveals many challenges arising from a range of threats external to the farm household, including severe biological threats from pests, disease, and weeds. Moreover, healthy, fertile soils are the cornerstone of food security and rural livelihoods, but African soils are degrading. Water is just as important for the productivity of plants, and lack of water leads to chronic and acute stress. Indeed, Africa is already battling the impacts of climate change. Rising temperatures and variable rainfall are increasing the exposure of smallholders to drought, famine, and disease. Agriculture is an important emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), not only carbon dioxide but also such powerful gases as methane and nitrous oxide. In addition, there are often severe socioeconomic challenges, including unstable and high prices of basic commodities. Finally, conflicts cause disruption to food security.

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