Climate Change & Hunger
More than 80% of the world’s hungry people live in disaster-prone countries.
Climate change is one of the leading global causes of hunger.
It means more frequent and intense extreme weather events that increase food insecurity and malnutrition by destroying land, livestock, crops and food supplies.
Extreme weather events have more than doubled in the last 30 years
22 million people are displaced annually due to climate-related disasters
Nearly a quarter of the world's farmable lands are degraded
A Vicious Cycle...
Disaster Strikes
Millions of people living in fragile, disaster-prone areas have limited resources to adapt to climate change and are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events - like floods, droughts or hurricanes - when they hit.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: AP/IFRC/Denis Onyodi
Immediate Effects
Lives and livelihoods are lost as homes, land, livestock, crops and essential food supplies are destroyed.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: WFP/Nour Hemici
Coping Measures
Food prices skyrocket as supplies dwindle. Parents take their children out of school, people eat less and less, and families sell any remaining valuable assets - like tools and cattle - to afford a meal.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: WFP/Kabir Dhanji
Food and Nutrition Crisis
The lack of food and nutrition, which has been building up since the disaster hit, now explodes into a full-blown crisis. Families become largely dependent on humanitarian aid.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: WFP/Bruno Djoyo
Long-Term Impacts
People's overall food consumption drops and their dietary diversity reduces to just a few foods. Malnourishment rises, especially among women. Rates of stunting and wasting in children increase.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: WFP/Amadou Baraze
Another Disaster Strikes
Hungry and malnourished people are even less able to withstand another disaster and they suffer graver consequences each time a flood or drought strikes. Some families attempt to leave but, without resources, many have no choice but to stay.
Source: Climate Change Infographic Photo: WFP/George Fominyen
The Faces and Voices of Climate Change
The Dry Corridor
The Dry Corridor - comprised of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua - has been effected by extreme rainfall and prolonged drought that have left 1.4M people in urgent need of food assistance.
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South Sudan
The combined effects of civil war and drought in South Sudan have left nearly 6.5M people facing severe hunger and 2.1M women and children acutely malnourished.
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Mozambique
Mozambique was hit hard by Cyclone Idai - the third-deadliest cyclone on record in the Southern Hemisphere - and then by Cyclone Kenneth six weeks later. Homes must be rebuilt, roads need to be repaired and more than 3,000 square miles of farmland needs to be replanted.
Read More +Helping People Build Resilience to Extreme Weather Events
As the largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, WFP understands the short- and long-term effects of extreme weather events and helps vulnerable communities prepare for, recover from and build resilience to them.
Food for Assets
Food for Assets provides food in exchange for work on community assets like bridges, dams and irrigation systems. These projects help people withstand extreme weather and have extra benefits like promoting nutrition and gender equality.
Land Rehabilitation
WFP helps communities restore degraded land, diversify their crops and build community gardens. One project in South Sudan increased agricultural land by 27% in just two years to the equivalent of more than 15,000 football fields.
Innovation
WFP uses every available tool to help people withstand climate shocks: hydroponics, water saving technology, satellite imagery and landscape monitoring software. The Innovation Accelerator has launched 23 such projects in 30 countries.
Food Waste
In areas prone to extreme weather events, every grain counts. Farmers in Africa lose about 40% of all the food they harvest due to insects, pests and mold. WFP is changing that with silos and air-tight bags, reducing food loss from 40% to 2%.
Extreme Weather = Extreme Hunger
Cold and Polluted: Working on the Front Lines of Climate Extremes
One of the places where you can see the effects of climate change very clearly is Mongolia – a country new to WFP’s work. We sat down with Darko Petrovich and Amit Wadhwa, who are spearheading WFP’s efforts in the country – one of the coldest and most polluted places in the world.
