engleski

Impact of climate change on food availability and population health

It is estimated that the world’s population will reach nine billion by 2050. Our capacities to maintain food security for an increasingly large and expectant population presents a significant global challenge. The Food and Agriculture organization (FAO) defines food security as “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. Presently, estimates indicate that 1 of 7 people are undernourished, while as much as 1/3 of the food production is wasted. According to modeling-based estimates, an approximately threefold increase in food demand is expected over the coming decades. The anticipated prospect of climatic variability with increased uncertainties about the extent of how climate change will affect the food security and safety and thus directly affect the human health and wellbeing is in the focus of policy makers. The food system is vulnerable to climate change, impacting many steps from production to consumption. The complex interactions between food availability, access to food (e.g. affordability) and utilization of food has to be addressed. Climate change and sustainable food production is challenged by maximizing production, introduction and incorporation of new technologies as well as limitation to the climate footprint of food production. National strategies need to address sustainable food security with equitable access and availability of food for their population. Furthermore, countries are not only confronted with finding new ways to improve the resilience of food production in relation to adverse impact of climate change, but also with the need to protect sufficient quantities of safe fresh water resources.

environmental changes ; food ; fresh water ; risk ; security

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