The World Bank has explained that climate change will disrupt the global food system within the next decade.
It looks like yet again, those who contribute least to climate change are the ones who will suffer most. The World Bank has explained that within the next decade the efforts of entire nations to feed themselves will be undermined, striking women in developing nations the hardest.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported:
"'The challenges from waste to warming, spurred on by a growing population with a rising middle-class hunger for meat, are leading us down a dangerous path,' Professor Kyte told the Crawford Fund 2014 annual conference in Canberra on Wednesday.
'Unless we chart a new course, we will find ourselves staring volatility and disruption in the food system in the face, not in 2050, not in 2040, but potentially within the next decade,' she said, according to her prepared speech.
Agriculture and land-use change account for about 30 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. Feed quality can be so low in arid parts of Africa, where livestock typically graze on marginal land and crop residues, that every kilo of protein produced can contribute the equivalent of one tonne of carbon dioxide - or 100 times more than in developed nations, Professor Kyte said.
A two-degree warmer world - which may occur by the 2030s on current emissions trajectories - could cut cereal yields by one-fifth globally and by one-half in Africa, she said.
The river deltas of Asia, which provide almost two-thirds of the world's rice, will become more vulnerable to sea-level rise and storm surges. By 2050, each hectare of paddy will have to feed 43 people, up from about 27 now, according to a report carried by China Daily .
Professor Kyte said the focus has to turn to so-called 'climate-smart agriculture', which contributes to increased productivity of crops, less wastage and a smaller climate change impact.
She cited the example of Ugandan farmers inter-cropping two key cash crops, bananas and coffee. The taller banana trees contributed shade to cool the coffee bushes while securing land from erosion and building soil carbon levels."
Smart agriculture is something that we need the whole world embrace. There are steps being made including vertical farming, which you can read more about here - Could vertical farming help save the world?
You can do your bit everyday by making sure you shop seasonally, locally and manage your food effectively.
Buy local, fresh and in-season when you shop for fruit and veg
Estimated CO2 Saving: 8kg per month (100kg per year)
When you buy fruit and veg do the following: choose locally produced, in-season and fresh rather than frozen, don’t use plastic bags and avoid any overpackaged items. Do this for a month then try to keep going.
Reduce wasting food by managing it better every day
Estimated CO2 Saving: 8kg per month (100kg per year)
Up to 30% of food we buy is wasted, at an estimated national cost of $5 billion-plus a year. Cut down on waste by not letting food go out of date, avoiding over-catering and looking after any leftovers.