Climatic variation and food security implications in sub-Sahara Africa

Abstract

The changing temperature has been identified as a major factor militating against food and nutrition security in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). The food production index and undernourished population growth index are used as a proxy for food and nutritional security. The study controlled climatic change responses on some agricultural characteristics and factors like the share of arable land, irrigation, population, and labor. The dynamic panel of the generalized method of moments (GMM) was applied to the global water balance empirical framework. The scope of the study is sub-Sahara Africa, drawn from 29 countries from 2000 to 2016. Findings from the study reveal that the short-run effect of temperature degrees increase poses at least -3.1% negative and significant impact on the food production while the long-run elasticity hits -7.5%. The controlled effect on arable land shows a positive impact on food production to the tune of 3.9%. Contrarily, arable land expansion reduces the undernourished population by -8.55%. Population increase, on the other hand, increases the undernourished population in the region to the tune of 11.95%.  The study recommends the reservation of more arable land for agricultural practice. At the same time, the population control policy is encouraged to jointly negate the undesired effects of temperature on food and nutritional security timely now that food and nutritional security is the panacea for a standard of living.