scholarly journals Climate Change, Flood Disaster Risk and Food Security Nexus in Northern Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Ane Atanga ◽  
Vitus Tankpa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Flood Disaster ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Northern Ghana ◽  
Disaster Impacts ◽  
Flood Disasters ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

This research reviews climate change, flood disasters impacts and food security nexus in northern Ghana. The impacts of climate change include flood disasters which in turn affect food production with subsequent impact on food security. While climate change impact can be positive in some regions, it can be negative in other regions as it could lead to excess or lack of water, which negatively affects food production. Most especially, flood disasters have reportedly become frequent with devastating consequences on food production. Literature further suggests that the frequency of floods and their impacts have the potential to increase in the future. Floods inundate farms, pastures and livestock, which could subsequently reduce crop yields and animal production. Floods also destroys physical infrastructure and disrupts socio-economic activities which are linked to agriculture sector and could affect food production. This eventually decreases food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability in the region. Northern Ghana has experienced flood disasters with increased frequency, which are related to climate change impacts. Although there is research on climate change, flood disasters, and food security issues in northern Ghana, the literature thus far indicates no clear focus of studies that focuses on the nexus of climate change, flood disasters, and food security of the study site. Thus, this research seeks to review the nexus of climate change, and flood disaster impacts on food security in northern Ghana with their implications on food security in the region. This study has two main research objectives. The first objective of this research is to identify and understand the potential impacts of climate change and flood disasters on food production in the study site. The second research objective is to explain the connection between climate change and flood disasters and the implications of this relationship on food security in the study site. This review study focuses on climate change, flood disasters, and food production to understand the critical impacts of climate change and flood disasters on food security in the northern part of Ghana. The aim of this research is to contribute to literature and discussion of the nexus of climate change, flood disaster impacts and food security sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Climate Change: Threat to Agricultural System and Food Security in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Adjei
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Unfavourable Weather ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Agriculture And Food ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Climate change is unequivocal and nothing hides itself from its negative repercussions. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to be impacted due to their low adaptive capacities and geographic position. Unfavourable weather trends coupled with climatic variations will have adverse effect on agricultural sector which is the main source of livelihood to rural households on the continent. This literature review article assessed the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food security in Africa. The lives of several in Africa cling on agriculture as it supports majority of the population. However, since over 90 percent of agriculture system in the region depends on rainfall, livelihoods of the citizens on the continent have been hit hard due to rising temperature, erratic rainfall and extreme weather conditions.

scholarly journals Scaling up crop diversification among farming communities for food security under climate change: A case study of the Kenyan pelis programme

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (07) ◽  
pp. 17025-17044
Author(s):  
Mary Ngure ◽  
◽  
SO Wandiga ◽  
DO Olago ◽  
SO Oriaso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Systematic Sampling ◽  
Crop Diversification ◽  
Term Survival

Climate change poses significant risks to food security globally with predictions of 10-20 % decline in rain-fed crop yields by 2050. Sub-Saharan Africa remains highly susceptible to food shortage since over 95 % of the region’s total cropland is rain-fed. Kenya’s over reliance on rain-fed agriculture predisposes the country to climate-induced food insecurity. Murang’a County in Kenya is experiencing climate change challenges manifested in prolonged droughts and floods. The consequences,are failed cropping seasons, soil erosion, landslides, altered crop suitability and a resurgence of human, livestock, crop pests,and diseases,culminating into food insecurity. This study was conducted with Kimandi-Wanyaga community in the Gatanga Sub-County in Murang’a County, Kenya. Residents are smallholder subsistence rain-fed farmers. The study explored the potential of up-scaling crop diversification under the Plantation Establishment and Livelihood Improvement Scheme (PELIS) for food security vis-à-vis climate change. The community’s climate change coping strategies were explored to account for the need to up-scale crop diversification under PELIS. A mixed methods research design was applied whereby a systematic sampling method was used to select 281 household-heads. Three key informants were purposively selected and primary data were collected through a household survey, in-depth key stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions and on-farm trials. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data were analysed using thematic and content analysis. The study established that 92.9 % of the community perceived climate change and its impacts. They had adopted a combination of coping strategies most of which,were found to be informed by short-term survival and hence,considered inadequate for long-term adaptation. The PELIS approach had been piloted in Murang’a County and was found to be a promising strategy for crop diversification and food security among forest-adjacent communities. However, only 11 % of the studied community participated in the scheme. Therefore, the study endeavoured to work with the community to promote cultivation of traditional vegetables under PELIS for crop diversification and food security in the face of climate change.The PELIS beneficiaries who adopted cultivation of Black nightshade, Amaranths and Cowpeas managed to produce enough for household consumption and sale of surplus for income. The PELIS,therefore, possesses the co-benefits of climate change adaptation through crop diversification for food security and climate change mitigation through afforestation for carbon sequestration.

Changes in Urban Agricultural Landscape Affect Community Food Security: A GIS-based Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
RICARDO T. BAGARINAO
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Patch Size ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Shape Index ◽  
Community Food Security ◽  
Mean Shape ◽  
Food Production System ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Community food security, which is a relatively new concept, has become a global concern amidst momentous impacts of climate change in severalcommunities across the globe. Urban areas in the Philippines, like Calamba Cityin Laguna province, are not exempted from the impacts of climate change. Urbanagriculture landscapes play important roles in establishing community foodsecurity. The study analyzed an urban agricultural landscape in the Philippinesthrough the use of patch analyst extension in a geographic information system(GIS). The study employed the geospatial and temporal image processing andanalysis research method to compare two sets of land use-land cover (LULC)maps, i.e. 2003 and 2010 from NAMRIA. Two landscape metrics were used in the comparison: mean patch size (MPS) and mean shape index (MSI). The landscape consists of two agricultural patches (i.e. annual cropland and perennialcropland) with MPS and MSI values (i.e. MPS = 1,088.15 vs. 274.55 has; MSI= 3.87 vs. 1.94) that significantly changed from 2003 to 2010. Such change maylead to a food production system that is more dependent on external supplies. Externally supported food production system can threaten the local community’sfood security in the long term.Keywords: Landscape ecology, community food security, geographic information system,mean patch size, mean shape index, urban agricultural landscape, descriptivedesign, Philippines

scholarly journals Climate Change Impacts on Sustainable Maize Production in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelvin Mulungu ◽  
John Ng'ombe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Maize Production ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Agricultural Potential ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the commonly grown grain crops and remains a source of staple food and food security for most countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). But climate change threatens agricultural potential in SSA thereby risking food security especially that most maize production is rain-fed in these countries. Thus, numerous studies have examined impacts of climate change on maize production and productivity resulting in several adaption strategies being promoted to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. But to the best of our knowledge, there has not been any studies in literature that provide a review of impacts of climate change on maize production and productivity in SSA. This chapter therefore provides a review of empirical climate change impacts on maize production and its productivity in SSA. We chose SSA because most countries in SSA are underdeveloped and therefore more vulnerable to climate change effects. This is important because this review will provide an easier access of such results for both scholars and policy makers in search of empirical impacts of climate change on maizeproduction and productivity in SSA.

scholarly journals Assessing the Sensitivity of Main Crop Yields to Climate Change Impacts in China

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 172
Author(s):  
Yuan Xu ◽  
Jieming Chou ◽  
Fan Yang ◽  
Mingyang Sun ◽  
Weixing Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Output Elasticity ◽  
The Impact

Quantitatively assessing the spatial divergence of the sensitivity of crop yield to climate change is of great significance for reducing the climate change risk to food production. We use socio-economic and climatic data from 1981 to 2015 to examine how climate variability led to variation in yield, as simulated by an economy–climate model (C-D-C). The sensitivity of crop yield to the impact of climate change refers to the change in yield caused by changing climatic factors under the condition of constant non-climatic factors. An ‘output elasticity of comprehensive climate factor (CCF)’ approach determines the sensitivity, using the yields per hectare for grain, rice, wheat and maize in China’s main grain-producing areas as a case study. The results show that the CCF has a negative trend at a rate of −0.84/(10a) in the North region, while a positive trend of 0.79/(10a) is observed for the South region. Climate change promotes the ensemble increase in yields, and the contribution of agricultural labor force and total mechanical power to yields are greater, indicating that the yield in major grain-producing areas mainly depends on labor resources and the level of mechanization. However, the sensitivities to climate change of different crop yields to climate change present obvious regional differences: the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for maize in the North region was stronger than that in the South region. Therefore, the increase in the yield per hectare for maize in the North region due to the positive impacts of climate change was greater than that in the South region. In contrast, the sensitivity to climate change of the yield per hectare for rice in the South region was stronger than that in the North region. Furthermore, the sensitivity to climate change of maize per hectare yield was stronger than that of rice and wheat in the North region, and that of rice was the highest of the three crop yields in the South region. Finally, the economy–climate sensitivity zones of different crops were determined by the output elasticity of the CCF to help adapt to climate change and prevent food production risks.

scholarly journals An Ecosystem-Based Approach to Climate-Smart Agriculture with Some Considerations for Social Equity

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1564
Author(s):  
Kofi Akamani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Ecosystem Management ◽  
Social Equity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Agricultural System ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Smart Agriculture

Although the transition to industrial agriculture in the 20th century resulted in increased agricultural productivity and efficiency, the attainment of global food security continues to be elusive. Current and anticipated impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector are likely to exacerbate the incidence of food insecurity. In recent years, climate-smart agriculture has gained recognition as a mechanism that has the potential to contribute to the attainment of food security and also enhance climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, several conceptual and implementation shortfalls have limited the widespread adoption of this innovative agricultural system at the landscape scale. This manuscript argues for the use of ecosystem management as an overarching framework for the conceptualization and implementation of climate-smart agriculture. The manuscript focuses on clarifying the foundational assumptions and management goals, as well as the knowledge and institutional requirements of climate-smart agriculture using the principles of ecosystem management. Potential challenges that may be faced by the application of an ecosystem management approach to climate-smart agriculture are also discussed. Furthermore, the manuscript calls for a heightened focus on social equity in the transition toward an ecosystem-based approach to climate-smart agriculture. The US farm bill is used as an illustrative case study along with other examples drawn mostly from sub-Saharan Africa.

scholarly journals Salinity and food security in southwest coastal Bangladesh: impacts on household food production and strategies for adaptation

Food Security ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukyan Lam ◽  
Peter J. Winch ◽  
Fosiul Alam Nizame ◽  
Elena T. Broaddus-Shea ◽  
Md. Golam Dostogir Harun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Floodplain Management ◽  
Ganges River ◽  
External Resources ◽  
Coastal Bangladesh ◽  
Household Food ◽  
Household Food Production

AbstractThe rising salinity of land and water is an important, but understudied, climate change-sensitive trend that can exert devastating impacts on food security. This mixed methods investigation combines salinity testing with qualitative research methods to explore these impacts in one of the most salinity-affected regions in the world—the Ganges River Delta. Data collection in 2015 and 2016 undertaken in Bangladesh’s southwest coastal region and Dhaka consisted of 83 in-depth household and stakeholder interviews, six community focus groups, and salinity testing of 27 soil and 45 surface and groundwater samples. Results show that household food production is a multifaceted cornerstone of rural livelihood in the southwest coastal region, and virtually every component of it—from rice plantation and homestead gardening to livestock cultivation and aquaculture—is being negatively affected by salinity. Although households have attempted multiple strategies for adapting food production, effective adaptation remains elusive. At the community level, improved irrigation and floodplain management, as well as restrictions on saltwater aquaculture to abate salinity, are viewed as promising interventions. However, the potential of such measures remains unrealized on a broad scale, as they require a level of external resources and regulation not yet provided by the NGO and government sectors. This study elucidates issues of accessibility, equity, and governance surrounding agricultural interventions for climate change-related salinity adaptation, and its findings can help inform the community of organizations that will increasingly need to grapple with salinity in order to guarantee food security in the context of environmental change.

Adapting to climate change for food security in the Rift Valley dry lands of Ethiopia: supplemental irrigation, plant density and sowing date

2016 ◽  
Vol 155 (5) ◽  
pp. 703-724 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. MULUNEH ◽  
L. STROOSNIJDER ◽  
S. KEESSTRA ◽  
B. BIAZIN
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Plant Density ◽  
Maize Yield ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Supplemental Irrigation ◽  
Dry Spells ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Improve Food Security ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change

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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