Stepping up to the challenge: six issues facing global climate change and food security

This paper is based on the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which states that climate change is impacting food security now and that it is no longer a hypothetical future scenario.

Acknowledging that the negative effects of climate change are projected to affect communities that have the lowest capacity to adapt, yet have the highest need to increase production, in order to secure food and nutrition security, this paper highlights six major issues that development and humanitarian actors need to address in the coming years if the IPCC’s worst case scenarios are to be averted: (i) Scale up proven action and practice; (ii) Ensure equitable outcomes for women; (iii) Give decision-making power to farmers; (iv) Enhance nutrition security, not just food security; (v) Make mitigation an opportunity for, rather than a threat to food security; (vi) Support markets and value chains for low income producers and consumers.

Find out how enhancing nutrition security, giving decision-making power to farmers, and ensuring equitable outcomes for women are critical to if we are to shift course towards long-term sustainability.