In This Edition

I Climate Change effects at the Global and National Levels

II The Impact of Climate Changes on Agriculture

III The Impact of Climate Changes on Yemen’s Food Security

IV Proposed Policies and Actions

Introduction

Climate change induced effects present the gravest threat to life and the entire planet, especially on agriculture and food security, which have recently increased due to human interventions that are not environment friendly and lacking the necessary plans and strategies to preserve agricultural lands and the surrounding environment in general. They risk sustainable development efforts, especially amid rising population in the world, expected to rise by one third by 2050. This increase is expected to be even higher in developing countries. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that if current trends in income and consumption growth continue without plans to preserve the surrounding environment, agricultural production will have to grow by 60% to meet the increased demand for food and fodder, and to ensure food security. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, altered environmental conditions, and the associated spread of pests and diseases over the last 15 years are factors that contribute to vicious cycles of poverty and hunger, particularly when exacerbated by fragile institutions, conflict, violence and continued displacement by population in search for safe haven. This is also applicable to Yemen, which has experienced a set of factors that jeopardize its stability, and thereby affected all aspects of life in all areas. “Yemen is living proof of the apocalyptic equation: conflicts and food insecurity go hand in hand, and when there is an overlap between climate change and conflict, famine is already on the horizon”.

Climate fluctuations and changes affect the social and environmental determinants of health, such as: clean air, safe drinking water, adequate food and shelter. Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns can cause a decrease in the production of basic foods by up to 50% in the poorest areas of some countries in the world, which leads to an increased prevalence of malnutrition and under nutrition.

Therefore, it is necessary to measure the impact of climate changes on agriculture and food security, in order to develop the appropriate solutions to confront these changes, mitigate the effects and risks on agricultural lands and soil, and adopt the necessary policies and procedures for emergency response. This pretty visible in the case of Yemen, which has been experiencing climate changes induced hurricanes in recent time, and the uneven intensity of rain and floods that washed away many agricultural lands, caused soil degradation and increased insects and agricultural pests.

This issue of the YSEU Bulletin, meanwhile, sheds some light on the impact of climate changes on agriculture and food security in Yemen, including prices of basic commodities.
Theme I deals with climate changes at the global and local levels, while Theme II underlines the impact of climate changes on agriculture, and Theme III elaborates on the impact of climate changes on food security in Yemen, the last on (Theme IV) furnishes a set of proposed policies and actions.