The goal of all men is to have the warm reception of well-prepared food on their table and perhaps have drinkable water to push it. All men desire to have their fork and knife engaging in brawls in competition for the inviting delicacies.
Sadly, the world’s food system is in shambles. One in ten people is undernourished. One in four is overweight; at least one in five Africans goes to bed hungry. And according to statistics, more than one-third of the world’s population cannot afford a healthy diet.
This begs the question, what then is the effect of climate change on food security? And how can taking food actions mitigate the climate crisis?
This essay shall however paint a vivid picture of food production and its impact on climate change and shall comprehensively enunciate my six actionable agenda on how I will contribute to ameliorating the menace of food non-availability and climate sustainability in my immediate community, in Africa, and in the global space.
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Food production and climate change: Connecting the dots
Climate change affects everything from the smallest of bugs to the biggest of whales including us, humans. It is one of the greatest challenges of our era and its impact will affect how and where we produce our food. This, in turn, will reduce the level of food access and availability thereby creating more hunger on the planet.
As humans, we live on food to survive and the ways we produce these foods contribute to climate change. Yet, we won’t stop eating. Today, 60% of the Earth’s land surface is used for agricultural purposes. Also, food production is responsible for about 30% of the greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change. In perspective, there is a need to connect the dots between climate change and the world food system.
The UN Food Systems Summit recognized the importance of food systems for global climate discussions and solutions, marking an important shift to put food systems at the center of global discussions on climate change impacts and solutions. But agriculture and food systems still receive insufficient attention and funding to address the crisis.
In a similar vein, emission reductions from food production have so far received less attention in GHG mitigation policies than those from energy, transport, and other industrial sectors. Consequently, emissions from agriculture could become the dominant source of global emissions.
Therefore, meeting the Paris Agreement’s targets to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C or well below 2°C, will be impossible without an intensified involvement of the agricultural sector. Essentially, the actualization of the Paris Agreement – which of course is a climate-driven policy – is not solely dependent on the energy sector as it appears; the contribution of the agricultural sector is as much imperative.
As such, the global food system needs a revamp — in policies and institutions as well as on social, business, and, technology fronts. Invariably, what we eat and the way we grow, produce, and process our food have a huge impact not only on our health but also on our ecosystem; as such there is a need to take necessary precautions against the effect of some of our actions and connect the dots where and when necessary.
Six actionable agendas for food security and climate stabilization
Ending hunger is the greatest challenge of our time. It is not about supply, the problem is access and availability, both of which are disrupted by things like extreme weather, food waste, drought, and – worst of all – conflict. However, questions that knock for answers include; how can we regulate the climate crisis in a way to stabilize food production? And how can we mitigate the environmental negatives that create the problem of access and availability to food production?
As recommendations, I have outlined some of my actionable agendas on how I will take contributory actions to mitigate the climate crisis and at the same time motivate and mobilize people, creatively and innovatively, to care for the environment. My actionable agenda is what I call the “CRIDIR Agenda”.
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Agenda 1 — create
Create comprehensive information-based systems particular to human and ecological dimensions. Agreeably, ICT is a very formidable tool to combat climate change and mitigate its effects. ICT makes available vital information on the changing environment to the mass population who need information and education to help sustain basic needs such as food and water. Ideally, this agenda could be achieved through green technologies such as mobile devices and base stations powered by solar energy. Hereunder are my actionable agenda:
A. Since information is cardinal to knowledge, I would create a climate education platform where through leveraging several social media platforms, I would mobilize a wider audience of more than 15,000 on the importance of taking necessary actions to save our planet while also tilting towards ending hunger in Africa.
B. I will build an incentive-based system where innovative and creative ideas aimed at climate actions will be appreciated. This can be in the form of various writing and arts competitions or contests.
Agenda 2 — reshape
Reshape food access and consumption patterns. This will ensure basic nutritional needs are met and will foster healthy and sustainable eating patterns in Africa. To achieve this, hereunder are my actionable agendas:
A. I will address chronic undernutrition and hunger by harmonizing development policy and coordinating local and regional programs to improve livelihoods and access to services among food-insecure rural and urban communities.
B. I will volunteer for social interventions that promote positive changes in the variety and quantity of diets through innovative education campaigns.
Agenda 3 — integrate
Integrate food security and sustainable agriculture into global and national policies.
A. As part of my actionable plans, I will develop platforms at global, regional, and national levels for coherent dialogue and policy action related to climate change, agriculture, crisis response, and food security. These include fostering local and regional-level coalitions and partnerships for food security and building resilience, particularly in areas most vulnerable to climate shocks.
Agenda 4 — develop
Develop programs and policies to assist populations and sectors that are most vulnerable to climate change and food insecurity.
To assist populations and sectors that are most vulnerable to climate change and food insecurity below is my actionable agenda:
A. I shall with the company of friends organize intervention programs that will bring together policymakers; local farmers and individuals and lecture them on how they can contribute their quota in mitigating climate negatives and the importance of taking meaningful and practicable actions to save our world.
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Agenda 5 — reduce
Reduce loss and waste in food systems.
The world produces more than enough food to feed everyone, yet 828 million people still go to bed hungry each night. However, abundance has led to overconsumption, the immediate consequence being the excessive exploitation of natural resources. Furthermore, the huge waste of food that doubled overconsumption can be considered one of the main sources of today’s energy and climate crisis with its significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and when food ends up in landfills, it generates methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.
In a bid to eliminate food loss and waste, I will:
A. As part of my actionable agenda, preach the transformation of by-products into useful agricultural products. Currently, less than 2% of valuable nutrients in food by-products and waste are recycled, and most of them end up in landfills where they are left to rot and produce greenhouse gasses, or else be incinerated. I will on the other hand motivate people to tap into the endless opportunities for turning this “waste” into useful products, which can drive innovation and create sustainable jobs.
Agenda 6 — intensify
Sustainably intensify agricultural production while also reducing Greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impacts of agriculture.
Agriculture is central to the climate crisis. While essential to human survival, it contributes to greenhouse emissions that pose a dire threat to humanity’s future. Climate change has reduced global agriculture productivity by 21% since 1961, according to a recent study by Nature and climate change.
Here are my actionable agenda to intensify environmental impacts:
A. Planting of cover crops is a successful method of farming that helps to prevent soil erosion and promotes water retention, and nitrogen fixation. As a child raised in the locals, I will educate farmers on the importance of planting cover crops and legumes which are known as nitrogen-producing crops — participating in the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to plant-ingestive forms.
B. I will educate the local farmers on the evil of excessive soil tillage and the importance of efficient irrigation management. Since irrigation is key to reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and no-till cultivation discourages soil disturbance.
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Conclusion
To the bottom line, the cut-and-dried dictum of Lord Denning is hereby invoked, when the erudite jurist remarks; “If we never do that which has not been done before, we shall never get anywhere”. On this center-pin, this essay concludes by reiterating that a cry for food security and availability is a cry for climate sustainability.
