term to increased food prices, however, it is unclear whether this conclusion would
hold for India, or indeed, different regions of the country.
If climate-induced higher food prices do reduce access to food for large numbers
of people, problems of hunger and anger clearly have the capacity to spill over into
social unrest. One of the prominent lines of argument associated with the Arab
Spring and the subsequent crisis in Syria was that it was triggered by drought and
higher food prices. (The Arab Spring was set off by a disgruntled bread vendor in
Tunisia.) This chapter is not the place for an extended critique of these issues, but
notably, one study that has attempted to consider the link between agricultural
production fluctuations and conflict in the Indian context is Wischnath and Buhaug’s
(2014) analysis of the association between year-on-year fluctuations in crop production and ongoing armed conflicts associated with the Naxalite insurrection. An
extensive statistical examination by the authors finds that harvest losses are associated strongly with increased levels of political violence. The authors conclude:
So, is a poor harvest a good indication of escalating violence in India? Based on the results
presented above, the answer is a qualified yes. (Wischnath and Buhaug 2014: 13)
4 Climate Change and the Ability to Utilize Food
for Long-Term Health
The foods we eat define our cultural identities, and are a source of enjoyment and
pleasure. Yet viewed from a human development perspective, food can be thought
of as a means to an end—a supplier of nutrients that assist us to have purposive,
productive and healthy lives. As climate change alters environmental health conditions and the geographies of food production, connections between food, nutrition
and health are recast. This is an important, though not always fully appreciated,
manifestation of the climate change/food security interface.
Of key relevance is the fact that food security, when defined comprehensively,
incorporates the nutritional needs of a full and active life. Indeed, although the term
‘food security’ is used in this chapter, the prevailing convention among many
international organizations is to use the terminology ‘food and nutrition security’,
to emphasize the latter (Committee on Food Security [CFS] 2012). Parallel with this
change in terminology has been advocacy of ‘nutrition-sensitive agriculture’, which
means the research and promotion of agricultural products and practices that
facilitate good health. Clearly, these kinds of initiatives need also to take into
account climate-sensitivity. An ideal set of research and intervention practices is
that nutrition deficits are identified among food-insecure populations, appropriate
crops are promoted to address these deficits, and research then takes place on how
to ensure that the promoted crops are viable and sensitive to climatic change. An
example of this is provided by the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child
Health (PMNC) in Mozambique, where a very high prevalence of vitamin A
deficiency was identified. This encouraged researchers to advocate and introduce
The Impacts of Climate Change for Food and Nutrition Security: …
17
hold for India, or indeed, different regions of the country.
If climate-induced higher food prices do reduce access to food for large numbers
of people, problems of hunger and anger clearly have the capacity to spill over into
social unrest. One of the prominent lines of argument associated with the Arab
Spring and the subsequent crisis in Syria was that it was triggered by drought and
higher food prices. (The Arab Spring was set off by a disgruntled bread vendor in
Tunisia.) This chapter is not the place for an extended critique of these issues, but
notably, one study that has attempted to consider the link between agricultural
production fluctuations and conflict in the Indian context is Wischnath and Buhaug’s
(2014) analysis of the association between year-on-year fluctuations in crop production and ongoing armed conflicts associated with the Naxalite insurrection. An
extensive statistical examination by the authors finds that harvest losses are associated strongly with increased levels of political violence. The authors conclude:
So, is a poor harvest a good indication of escalating violence in India? Based on the results
presented above, the answer is a qualified yes. (Wischnath and Buhaug 2014: 13)
4 Climate Change and the Ability to Utilize Food
for Long-Term Health
The foods we eat define our cultural identities, and are a source of enjoyment and
pleasure. Yet viewed from a human development perspective, food can be thought
of as a means to an end—a supplier of nutrients that assist us to have purposive,
productive and healthy lives. As climate change alters environmental health conditions and the geographies of food production, connections between food, nutrition
and health are recast. This is an important, though not always fully appreciated,
manifestation of the climate change/food security interface.
Of key relevance is the fact that food security, when defined comprehensively,
incorporates the nutritional needs of a full and active life. Indeed, although the term
‘food security’ is used in this chapter, the prevailing convention among many
international organizations is to use the terminology ‘food and nutrition security’,
to emphasize the latter (Committee on Food Security [CFS] 2012). Parallel with this
change in terminology has been advocacy of ‘nutrition-sensitive agriculture’, which
means the research and promotion of agricultural products and practices that
facilitate good health. Clearly, these kinds of initiatives need also to take into
account climate-sensitivity. An ideal set of research and intervention practices is
that nutrition deficits are identified among food-insecure populations, appropriate
crops are promoted to address these deficits, and research then takes place on how
to ensure that the promoted crops are viable and sensitive to climatic change. An
example of this is provided by the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child
Health (PMNC) in Mozambique, where a very high prevalence of vitamin A
deficiency was identified. This encouraged researchers to advocate and introduce
The Impacts of Climate Change for Food and Nutrition Security: …
17