Climate change, rural livelihoods and agriculture (focus on food security) in Asia-Pacific region

Abstract

Climate change is a major challenge for agriculture, food security and rural livelihoods for billions of people including the poor in the Asia-Pacific region. Agriculture is the sector most vulnerable to climate change due to its high dependence on climate and weather and because people involved in agriculture tend to be poorer compared with urban residents. More than 60 per cent of the population is directly or indirectly relying on agriculture as a source of livelihood in this region. Agriculture is part of the problem and part of the solution. Asian agriculture sector is already facing many problems relating to sustainability. To those already daunting challenges, climate change adds further pressure on agriculture adversely affecting the poor. The climate change is already making adversely impact on the lives of the population particularly the poor. It is already evident in a number of ways. Consistent warming trends and more frequent and intense extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones, floods, and hailstorms have been observed across Asia and the Pacific in recent decades. The objective of this paper is to identify climate change related threats and vulnerabilities associated with agriculture as a sector and agriculture as people’s livelihoods (exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity). The paper analyses the connections between the nature of human action as drivers of threats as well as opportunities for sustainable agriculture and better human development outcomes. Broadly, it examines the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods, agriculture, food security. It discusses the options for adaptation and mitigation and requirements for implementation at local, national and international level of these measures.