Proceeding of 2013 International Seminar on Climate Change and Food Security ISCCFS 2013
Palembang, South Sumatra -Indonesia, 24-25 October,2013
1
Food Security and Climate Change in Developing Economies: Evidences and Policy Responses
Mad Nasir Shamsudin
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Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia
1. Introduction
The challenge of food security is to assure that all people have access to enough food to lead productive lives. Food production, however, is vulnerable to climate change.
The general consensus is that changes in temperature and precipitation will directly result in changes in land and water regimes that will subsequently
affect agricultural productivity. It also indirectly impacts on human development, economic growth, and
trade flows . The impact of climate change on food security is therefore a vital challenge and a particularly
critical one for vulnerable regions such as tropical developing countries. This paper elucidates some evidences of the impacts of climate change on food production, and hence food security and policy responses
to minimise its impacts.
2. Food Security Issues in Developing Economies
The food security agenda in the twenty-first century faces a totally new set of challenges. Domestically, the competition for resources land, labour and capital continues to intensify as urbanisation and
industrialisation grow rapidly. Lack of innovations and technology in food production merely depletes food sector‘s ability to compete. Limited investment in food and agriculture have made this sector lagged on all
fronts; productivity, efficiency and development. The effect of climate change is showing, aggravated further by unsustainable practices such as overuse of chemical fertilisers, and poor water management. The
interna tional market also poses the bigger challenge to developing countries‘ food security in particular
―extreme volatility‖. The trajectory of the global food system is no longer in the main determined by the resolution of demand and supply fundamentals. External shocks are emerging from a complexity of sources
and are having a profound influence in causing vulnerability in food systems. The detrimental impact of volatility is further magnified by structural problems such as: poor infrastructure, poor supply response,
inefficient market, and susceptibility to climactic disturbances.
The conventional fundamental framework is still applicable as demand is chasing over stressed supply due to serious resource constraints. The awakening of the populous Indian and Chinese economies has put
pressures on food supply of the world. The volatility of the crude oil prices, for instance, as well as its increasing trend has increased the demand for biofuel feedstock which leads to lesser resources for food
production and competition for land. Lurking actively is the climatic changes which are affecting the four dimensions of food security include: food availability, stability of food supplies, access to food, and food
utilisation.
3. Evidences of Climate Change Impacts
Climate change poses challenges for all sectors of the economy, but particularly those sectors dependent on natural resources such as agriculture. Despite technological advances in biotechnology, climate is still a
key factor in determining agricultural productivity and hence food security and agricultural economy. The impacts of climate change on food security may be felt primarily through changes in crop yields, water
availability, pests and diseases, animal health and other biophysical factors. Such biophysical changes propagate through a number of components of the socio-economic system and ultimately, impact the
livelihoods of people in a variety of ways.
Despite general uncertainties, studies have consistently shown that overall agricultural production in the mid- and high latitudes is likely to benefit in the near term approximately to mid-century, while production
systems in the low-latitudes are likely to decline. This finding has implications for world food security and farm incomes, since most developing countries are located in lower-latitude regions. Falling farm incomes
Proceeding of 2013 International Seminar on Climate Change and Food Security ISCCFS 2013
Palembang, South Sumatra -Indonesia, 24-25 October,2013
2 will increase poverty and reduce the ability of households to invest for a better future. At the national level,
climate change will cut revenues and raise spending needs, worsening public finance. There is a general agreement that the long-term effects on agriculture are negative. If climate change
effects are not abated, agricultural production in the mid- and high-latitudes is likely to decline in the long term approximately by the end of 21
st
century. They are due primarily to detrimental effects of heat and water stress on crop growth as temperatures rise.
4. Policy Responses
Developing economies, being mostly food deficit countries, a policy framework that deals with the effect of climate change on food production, consumption and trade is crucial. This framework is needed to provide
practical tools to develop effective and efficient policies to deal with climate change challenges. Some possible areas in the framework include adaptation strategies to build resilience into production systems;
mitigation strategies, both command-and-control and market-based instruments, to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions; research and development strategies to enhance the agricultural sector capacity to
respond to climate change, awareness and communication strategies to inform decision making by agricultural producers, and effective risk management system and social safety nets.
Proceeding of 2013 International Seminar on Climate Change and Food Security ISCCFS 2013
Palembang, South Sumatra -Indonesia, 24-25 October,2013
3
Economic Impact of Climate Change on Rice Production
Negin Vaghefi
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Faculty of Agriculture Mazandaran University Iran
1. Introduction
