The latest food security report from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Advancing Food Security in the Face of a Changing Climate, was released today, to coincide with the 2014 Global Food Security Symposium.
The report provides an overview of the risks that climate change poses to global food security, highlighting the linkages between weather, food production, and food prices, and discussing the implications of increased climate variability and weather changes on global agricultural production (including decreasing food quality and livestock productivity). It also outlines recommendations for “how the United States can recognize climate change in its global food and nutrition security policy that yield positive benefits at home and support resilience in other parts of the world.”
Key recommendations of the report:
- Make global food security one of the highest priorities of US economic and foreign policy development (this was also a ‘topline’ recommendation in the 2013 report)
- Bolster research on climate change impacts and solutions, increase funding for data collection, and partner widely
- Include climate change adaptation in international trade negotiations
- Advance climate change adaptation and mitigation through partnerships between the public and private sectors
Time is of the essence when dealing with climate change and food security issues. “As a global leader in agriculture,” the report argues, “the United States should act now. It has much to gain by doing so…It has much to lose by delay.”
