**7. Causes of global food insecurity**

There are many causes of global food insecurity and most of them are region specific, except climate change where impacts are felt globally. Some are human causes like destruction of fertile lands and others are non-human like natural disasters (e.g. floods). While human destruction of his mother nature through careless management practices have impacted negatively on his ability to produce enough food for the population, the contribution that humans make to climate change is potentially causing increased food insecurity globally. Industrialization, modern agricultural practices and the need to produce for the market without thinking about environmental sustainability has had disastrous effect as climate change has set in. In some areas, sea levels have risen and increased incidence of extreme events posing danger and threatening livelihoods and at the same time increasing the vulnerability to future food insecurity in the world. Coastal freshwater are being contaminated with salt water and people do not get fresh water for domestic use and plants or food crops that are not salt-tolerant cannot be grown. Storm surges become common occurrences together with flooding. This hinders people living along coast from growing food crops. Increased temper‐ ature also leads to heat stress for plants which increase evaporation and lowers productivity. Climate change has also been a cause of more frequent and more intense extreme weather events like increasing irregularities in seasonal rainfall patterns. The changing growing seasons have shifted ecological niches.

Rainfall is becoming more unpredictable and unreliable and has become a common occurrence leading to greater uncertainty among farmers and their traditional agricultural knowledge and coping strategies. The phenomenon has had immediate impact on food production, distribu‐ tion, infrastructure, livelihoods and human health in all parts of the world. Where climate change has influenced rainfall and temperature patterns, the suitability of land for different types of crops and pasture is affected, including the health and productivity of forests; the distribution, productivity and community composition of marine resources and the increased incidence of pests and diseases. It also affects the functioning of biodiversity and ecosystem of natural habitats; and the availability of good-quality water for crops, livestock and inland fish production. It may also increase aridity of arable lands, induce drought and deforestation, can increase fire danger with consequent loss of the vegetative cover needed for grazing and fuel wood [12]. It also leads to depletion groundwater and induce the internal and international migration thereby triggering resource-based conflicts and civil unrest in either areas of origin or destination. Conflicts over water resources will have implications for both food production and people's access to food in conflict zones [13]. Production from both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture in dry land ecosystems accounts for approximately 25 percent, and rice produced in coastal ecosystems for about 12 percent [14].

The United States of America and European Union together provide about two thirds of global food aid deliveries. The United States of America is by far the most important donor of food aid both for bilateral programme aid and as the main contributor to the World Food Program. The World Food Program (WFP) is the primary agency responsible for administering multi‐ lateral food aid. The WFP and various NGOs administer project food aid to support a wide range of developmental projects targeting the poor in developing countries. Others include the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Food Aid Convention (FAC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). All these organizations have different mandates and are concerned with different aspects of the provision of food aid. Many organizations around the world are working to find ways to produce the food needed in a sustainable way, within the limits of what our ecosystems can support for current and future generations, and to safeguard this production from the impacts of climate change. Food security is the outcome of food system processes all along the food chain. Climate change will affect food security through its impacts on all components of global, national and local food systems. It is important to note that climate change variables influence biophysical factors, such as plant and animal growth, water cycles, biodiversity and nutrient cycling, and the ways in which these are managed.

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood among many rural populations [11].

There are many causes of global food insecurity and most of them are region specific, except climate change where impacts are felt globally. Some are human causes like destruction of fertile lands and others are non-human like natural disasters (e.g. floods). While human destruction of his mother nature through careless management practices have impacted negatively on his ability to produce enough food for the population, the contribution that humans make to climate change is potentially causing increased food insecurity globally. Industrialization, modern agricultural practices and the need to produce for the market without thinking about environmental sustainability has had disastrous effect as climate change has set in. In some areas, sea levels have risen and increased incidence of extreme events posing danger and threatening livelihoods and at the same time increasing the vulnerability to future food insecurity in the world. Coastal freshwater are being contaminated with salt water and people do not get fresh water for domestic use and plants or food crops that are not salt-tolerant cannot be grown. Storm surges become common occurrences together with flooding. This hinders people living along coast from growing food crops. Increased temper‐ ature also leads to heat stress for plants which increase evaporation and lowers productivity. Climate change has also been a cause of more frequent and more intense extreme weather events like increasing irregularities in seasonal rainfall patterns. The changing growing

Rainfall is becoming more unpredictable and unreliable and has become a common occurrence leading to greater uncertainty among farmers and their traditional agricultural knowledge and coping strategies. The phenomenon has had immediate impact on food production, distribu‐ tion, infrastructure, livelihoods and human health in all parts of the world. Where climate

**7. Causes of global food insecurity**

242 Environmental Change and Sustainability

seasons have shifted ecological niches.

Natural fall-back mechanisms during food crisis may also be affected. These include disap‐ pearance of traditional fruits, herbs, vegetables, mushrooms, wild foods and other coping mechanisms. It is expected that as the world climate continues to change, 5 000 plant species in sub-Saharan Africa will decrease in size or shift to other agro-ecological zones due to climate change (Levin and Pershing, 2005). All these impacts have negative influence on food security of the people living in the affected areas. At the same time people may resort to unfamiliar ways of surviving and countering food insecurity. It was observed that people may decide not to migrate but find new, unfamiliar ways of earning a living [15]. FAO has been instrumental in assisting various communities all over the World develop the right food production technologies aimed at boosting food security. They possesses technical expertise relevant to climate change adaptation in a variety of ecosystems, including agro-ecosystems (crops, livestock, grasslands), forests and woodlands, inland waters, and coastal and marine ecosys‐ tems. It works to build national, local and community-level capacities to raise awareness of and prepare for climate change impacts, assists member countries in identifying potential adaptation options and helps local people understand which are the most applicable to their particular circumstances.

Since 2002, FAO has been promoting National and Regional Programmes for Food Security (NPFS and RPFS) as instruments that help countries enhance productivity and diversify the livelihoods of rural people on a scale sufficient to achieve the 2015 targets set by WFS and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is an organization committed to eliminating food insecurity in the World. From their advice, people have created artificial microclimates, breed plants and animals with desired characteristics, enhance soil quality, and control the flow of water. Advances in storage, preservation and transport technologies have made food processing and packaging a new area of economic activity. This has allowed food distributors and retailers to develop long-distance marketing chains that move produce and packaged food. The countries that are not able to adopt new technologies need to be assisted. Developing countries urgently need more assistance to help them prepare for the impacts of climate change that are unavoidable. The transfer of the industrialised countries' best energy efficiency and renewable energy technology and assistance with disaster preparedness, agricultural produc‐ tivity improvements, water management, conflict prevention, reforestation, preventing deforestation and critical infrastructure would be most appropriate.

Other important practices for addressing food insecurity include changing consumption patterns and food preparation practices, efficient water use, improving soil quality, capacity to withstand extreme events and carbon sequestration. Others include promotion of agro biodiversity for local adaptation and resilience, reducing uncertainty by improving the information base and devising innovative schemes for insuring against climate change hazards.

People need to adopt practices that enable the vulnerable to protect their existing livelihood systems, diversify their sources of income, change their livelihood strategies or migrate. Sustainable livestock management practices for adaptation and associated mitigation should also be given high priority.
