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Effect of climate change on agriculture in low socioeconomic societies

Climate change, if unchecked, is an urgent threat to health, food

Supplies, biodiversity, and livelihoods across the globe.

.John F Kerry

In recent years climate change has become the most serious threat to mankind, it has been said that global average carbon dioxide set a new record high in 2021: 414.72 parts per million (1). This has caused an increase in the temperature by 2 degrees Fahrenheit since preindustrial times (in 1750) and if drastic measures are not taken the world temperature can rise to 3 degrees Fahrenheit within the next few decades(2). This resulted in extreme heat and drought-like conditions in some parts of the world while in other parts it is causing extreme flooding and storms.

Extreme heat has affected the overall production of essential crops like rice, wheat, corn, potatoes, and onions. Not to forget the current Ukraine and Russia conflict has affected the food supply in many countries especially countries with a long history of war including, Somalia, Syria, Afghanistan, and Yemen. It has been said that global yield can decline up to 30 percent by 2050, according to the state of food security and nutrition report nearly 750 million had experienced severe food insecurity in 2019 and the number is kept increasing ever since(3).

So how to fix this problem?

One solution is to reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases, more than a third of these greenhouse gases are produced by food production, distribution, and consumption. Many of these are produced by raising livestock, rice cultivation, and production of synthetic fertilizer(4)

Increased reforestation can help trap carbon emission and prevents flooding, this can help in cultivation and prevents soil erosion. Pakistan’s 10 billion tree tsunami is one of the many examples that countries are trying to achieve. it was started in 2019 and until now has planted the billionth tree. This has caused a drastic change in the wetlands of Pakistan as they are most susceptible to extreme rain, flooding, and droughts.

Better soil management and decreased usage of harmful chemicals and fertilizers can affect overall soil health. The introduction of advanced agriculture techniques like hydroponic and aeroponic cultivation has increased the overall production of food grown in less time by utilizing less water.

Effect of food scarcity on children’s health:

The recent effect of pandemic and economic uncertainty has fueled the food insecurities and many low socioeconomic countries are facing increased health crises including malnourishment in children, vector-borne diseases such as cholera, and intrauterine growth retardation due to lack of proper antenatal care. These challenges have increased the mortality rate in children under 5 years of age, it has been estimated that 3.1 million children die from undernutrition each year (according to UNICEF 2018 report)(5).

We as a responsible society should play our role in working together for a better future so that our future generations should face the consequences of our remissness.

Dr. Taiba Shahid

Family physician | MPH graduate at JH | clinical researcher | volunteer telehealth consultant

Mental health advocate | History enthusiast.