Climate Change and Future Impacts on Food Security

Overview

This briefing has been written in response to the drought in the Horn of Africa, which is facing the worst food crisis of the 21st Century. While severe drought has undoubtedly led to the huge scale of the disaster, this crisis has been caused by people and policies, as much as by weather patterns. This briefing looks at the role that climate change has played in the current crisis – looking at current climate trends, future climate trends, and the their impacts on food security.

The current experience of communities is that seasons are changing and drought frequency is increasing. And for the future, whilst there is still uncertainty concerning the exact impact of climate change in this region, it is clear that temperatures will continue to increase and rainfall patterns change. This will have significant impacts on food security – probably reducing production across the board – for major food producers, small holder farmers and pastoralists.