shocks cause food insecurity Flashcards
why is there an increased freq of extreme weather?
climate change
the warming of the atmosphere increases the no. of times that temps reach extreme levels, more water vapour evaporates from the oceans -> an increase in water vapour in atmosphere = more intense rainfall -> retention of heat from the sun -> further global warming
how does drought affect food production?
results in crop failure + reduced water quantity + quality. droughts lead to further environmental impacts eg soil erosion, gullying, subsidence, rockfalls + weathering. in 2003 southern Ethiopia experienced longest drought, 20 mill people needed food aid.
how do heat waves affect food production?
in Europe 2003, there were 3000 deaths + Portugal lost 3500 ha of forest + farmland to fires. Europe had to import food for the first time in decades
how do tropical storms affect food production?
within the tropics it is likely that hurricanes + tropical storms will become more intense due to climate change. unleashing stronger winds, causing more destruction of farmland + infrastructure. ocean temps will rise + will lead to higher energy storms
how do floods affect food production?
as climate warms there will be more heavy rainfall leading to flooding which can destroy crops, disrupt food distribution, erode soil; + damage infrastructure
how do volcanoes affect food security?
volcanic ash-fall destroys pasture land, its increase sulphur levels in soils + lower pH to levels where plants cannot survive
how do earthquakes affect food security?
transport + food distribution may be disrupted, food stocks may be destroyed, livestock killed, damage to irrigation systems
Nepal 2015 caused long and short term impacts which varied in severity – 35 million in need of food aid, farmers missed planting season and unable to harvest staple rice crop, stocks of wheat and maize destroyed, markets didn’t function as roads were destroyed.
