Global Food Policy Report 2022 on ‘Climate Change and Food Systems’

• 17 May 2022

On 12^th May 2022, the Global Food Policy Report 2022 on ‘Climate Change and Food Systems’ was released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

The Report on Climate Change & its Effects

• Climate change is a growing threat to our food systems, with impacts becoming increasingly evident.
• Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events, among other effects, are already reducing agricultural yields and disrupting food supply chains.
• By 2050, climate change is expected to put millions of people at risk of hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

Major Findings on India

• Temperature: As per the report, the average temperature across India is projected to rise by between 2.4°C and 4.4°C by 2100.
• Heat Waves: Summer heat waves are projected to triple or quadruple by 2100 in India.

Risk of Hunger

• The effects of climate change will put 9.06 crore Indians at risk of hunger in the next eight years.
• By 2030, without climate change 7.39 crore Indians are at risk of hunger but when the climate change effects are factored in, the number goes up to 9.06 crore.
• However, the same number will come down from 9.06 crore to 4.49 crore by 2050. Without climate change, it will be 4.5 crore.

Agricultural Production

• In India, agricultural production data (1967–2016) for several crops show that average land productivity decreases as average temperatures increase, and this impact accelerates at higher levels of warming.
• Projections show yields of India’s crops falling by 1.8 to 6.6% by mid-century (2041–2060) and by 7.2 to 23.6% by the end-century (2061–2080) under a middle-of-the-road scenario for climate change.
• Yield losses are projected to be higher in rainfed conditions, and yield losses in wheat and maize are projected to be higher than yield losses in rice.