Climate Change, Food Security and Informatics

Abstract

Increasing scientific evidence emphasizes the importance of addressing climate changes worldwide. While the relative roles of human versus natural causes continue to be disputed, evolving evidence supports the hypothesis that human activities have significantly contributed to substantial changes in climatic events, and these impacts are expected to continue (and increase) if activity patterns remain unchanged. The extent to which human activities must be adjusted to slow and reverse this trend remains under debate, but it is widely agreed that actions now will mitigate climate change impacts both in the near term and into the more distant future. This point is at the core of arguments for timely mitigation through various means to reduce the projected longer-term effects of climate change, including impacts on food security for the burgeoning human population. Efforts to adapt to climate change are under way, and further concerted planning and implementation strategies are needed. This paper explores implications of climate change for global food security due to increased variability in production year-to-year from droughts, extreme rain events and other weather-related phenomena. It addresses the shifts in climatic zones already being experienced and related impacts on the spread of plant and animal diseases; the potential impact of weather events on invasive pathogens and other species that threaten food production; and considerations for food safety as a primary element of food security in both developed and developing countries. The role of informatics in addressing private sector and public policy decision-making challenges to food security from the impacts of climate change is discussed. The emphasis is on how informatics can be used to better manage agricultural and natural resources for sustainable food production and to assure food security for the future.