The Challenges and Strategies of Food Security under Global Change

The world today confronts troubling trends that impact food security. The first trend is an increase in the world's population: the United Nations projects that the world's population will rise to about 10 billion by 2050, and the number of countries that are food importers is rising. The second trend is that the world's food supply will be pressured by the twin effects of environmental degradation and climate change. Climate change has direct impacts on agriculture and environmental degradation, such as sterile agricultural land, depleted water tables, and falling grain yields, threatens food security for hundreds of millions of people. Climate-induced drought reduces crop production and lowers yields, while warmer temperatures lead to a higher incidence of plant, livestock, and fish diseases. Climate change is dislocating production in some regions, and this trend is expected to increase as the century progresses. The third trend is a rise in populism and nationalism, which has increased trade protectionism. The fourth trend is an increase in the number of weak and at-risk states, which are poorly equipped to address their food insecurity and, therefore, face political instability. The purpose of this Reprint is to examine global food security challenges through a number of contributions that analyze the primary food security challenges, strategies for mitigation of food insecurity, sources of resilience, and prospects for success.