Dr Moses Amweelo

There are more than one billion hungry people in the world – and climate change threatens to significantly increase the number of people at risk of hunger and undernutrition. 

Predictions are that more powerful, frequent droughts and storms will create greater devastation. Rising sea levels will ruin fertile farmland, and changing rainfall patterns will deplete harvests. 

Increasingly scarce resources will exacerbate social tensions and may spark conflict. Millions more people will be at risk of hunger and undernutrition. 

Most of them will be in the world’s poorest countries, where hunger, undernutrition and food insecurity are already widespread. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could fall by 50% by 2025. 

Diminishing water availability and quality, as well as rising water demand will also create immense challenges. The effects of these changes on hunger and undernutrition will be felt across the world with a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities in less developed countries with the least resources and capacities to adapt and respond. 

What the science says

According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the leading scientific forum for climate analysis, climate change will lead to: increases in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters and extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and hurricanes, rising sea levels and the contamination/salinisation of water supplies and agricultural lands, changes in rainfall patterns with an expected reduction in agricultural productivity in already fragile areas, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, declining water quality and availability in arid and semi-arid regions like Namibia, and surging health and sanitation problems, which will affect malnutrition rates. 

Rwanda: food-for-work interventions help households and communities shift to sustainable livelihoods, improve productivity and prevent degradation of the natural resource base. 

In Rwanda, the World Food Programme (WFP) implements a land terracing project for geranium plantations in Remera, Nyaruguru district. 

Responding to increased hunger and undernutrition caused by climatic changes will be a key pillar of WFP’s work in the 21st century, providing emergency relief when disasters strike, helping devastated families recover and rebuild, and assisting vulnerable communities adapt to more difficult and uncertain times. 

The WFP approaches the challenges of climate change from the point of view of its impact on hunger and nutrition. 

Working with governments and partners, WFP can use its extensive experience, innovative programmes and risk reduction tools to help the poor and vulnerable mitigate and adapt to hunger-related consequences of climate change. 

Along with short-term emergency assistance for those left hungry and destitute by natural disasters, WFP has a collection of activities and projects developed over four decades of responding to cyclical weather-related emergencies. 

WFP has also developed sophisticated tools and services to enhance the ability of governments and partners to predict the onset of natural hazards and respond appropriately to cushion their impact. 

From anticipating shocks to reacting rapidly when disasters occur to building resilience to future threats, to strengthening social protection systems and safety nets, WFP makes a difference to tens of millions of people whose lives and livelihoods are affected and imperilled by environmental degradation, poverty and the cumulative effects of climate change on food security and hunger. 

In Southern Africa, climate extremes are a major impediment to the resilience of food systems, where livelihoods and economies are highly sensitive to weather fluctuations. 

While the region boasts an incredible diversity of ecosystems, natural resources, economic activities and cultures, it is also characterised by rapid population growth, urbanisation of coastal areas, encroachment into ecologically marginal areas and poverty. 

The primary source of income for the region’s rural population remains agriculture – much of it rainfed and allocated to cereal production. 

The region’s uneven distribution of resources and changing climate dynamics pose significant challenges as well as considerable opportunities for cooperation across the countries of Southern Africa. 

While Southern Africa contributes only 1% to global carbon emissions, their temperatures are rising at double the global rate – and climate impacts, such as cyclones and droughts, are rampant. 

This factsheet brings to the fore climate change challenges in the region and how WFP is supporting the people in adapting to this unrelenting phenomenon. The big question is, what is the WFP doing in Namibia? 

WFP is developing a National Integrated Programme for Rural Transformation. Its goals include agricultural innovation and productivity, employment creation, small and medium enterprise development, trade facilitation, market access and value chain development through a multisectoral and multi-stakeholder approach. 

Finally, globally, WFP is enhancing its capacity and the capacity of the humanitarian community to respond effectively to more frequent and severe weather and climate-related disasters.

*Dr Moses Amweelo is a former minister of Works, Transport and Communication. He earned a doctorate in Technical Science, Industrial Engineering and Management from the International Transport Academy (St Petersburg, Russia).