Continuence of 10.2.2.1
The consequences of chronic and episodic food insecurity in Africa are evident
in the prevalence of hunger. Nearly 200 million people in Africa are undernourished.
In central, eastern, and southern Africa, more than 40% of the population is
undernourished, and the number has risen over the past few decades. SSA is home
to almost one-quarter of the developing world's food-deprived people, with
variations across the continent (FAO, 1999b). Although west Africa has the largest
total population of any of the African subregions, it has the fewest undernourished
people. By contrast, east Africa has more than twice as many undernourished
people. According to anthropometric surveys made between 1987 and 1998, 33%
of African children are stunted, underweight, or wasted (FAO, 1999b) (see Table
10-3). Illiteracy and ignorance, along with poor housing and infrastructure,
are predisposing conditions to ill health in many countries, which impacts food
security
| Table 10-3: Undernourishment in Africa (FAO, 1999b). |
 |
| |
Number of People (millions)
|
% of Population
|
| Region |
1996-1997
|
1979-1981
|
1995-1997
|
|
| Africa |
|
|
|
-Central Africa
|
35.6
|
36
|
48
|
-East and southern Africa
|
112.9
|
33.5
|
43
|
-West Africa
|
31.1
|
40
|
16
|
-West Africa
|
5.4
|
8
|
4
|
| |
|
|
|
| Other Regions |
|
|
|
-Caribbean
|
9.3
|
19
|
31
|
-Central America
|
5.6
|
20
|
17
|
-South America
|
33.3
|
14
|
10
|
-Eastern Asia
|
176.8
|
29
|
14
|
-South Asia
|
283
|
38
|
23
|
-Southeast Asia
|
63.7
|
27
|
13
|
-Western Asia
|
27.5
|
10
|
12
|
-Indian Ocean
|
1.1
|
31
|
24
|
|
African food security and potential to adapt to climate change can be portrayed
by using national indicators. Of course, local conditions of vulnerability are
critical; aggregate indicators are only one way of illustrating the relative
risks and potential impacts of climate change. Two indices are shown in Table
10-4. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite of measures of life
expectancy, literacy, education, and income (GDP per capita), as promoted by
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Except for north Africa, African
regions score in the lowest group on the HDI. Among other world regions, only
Central America is in the lowest group. A similar index of food security has
been constructed, using indices of trends in food production, available food
as a percentage of requirements, and arable land per capita (see Downing, 1991);
north Africa is in the medium-low group. Relative to other regions, Africa
clearly is among the regions with the lowest food security and the lowest ability
to adapt to future changes (as indicated by the HDI).
| Table 10-4: Comparison of indices of human
development and food security for regions in developing countries [Human
Development Index (UNDP, 1998); data from WRI (1998) and UNDP (1998)]. |
|
Human Development
|
Food Security
|
| Index (HDI) |
Low
|
Med-Low
|
Med-High
|
High
|
|
| Low |
West Africa
|
|
|
|
| |
South Asia
|
|
|
|
| |
East and South Africa
|
|
|
|
| |
Central America
|
|
|
|
| |
Central Africa
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Medium |
South Pacific
|
Southeast Asia
|
|
|
| |
|
North Africa
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| High |
East Asia
|
West Asia
|
West Europe
|
Australasia
|
| |
Caribbean
|
South America
|
Central and East
|
Indian Ocean
|
| |
|
Central Asia
|
Europe
|
North America
|
|
The state of food security is not uniform, and there has been considerable
progress in some countries (FAO, 1999b). For example, undernourishment in Ghana
has decreased more rapidly than in any other country in the world, fueled by
economic growth and consequent improvements in cropped area and yields. Plagued
by population growth and conflict, Burundi is in stark contrast: Average daily
food intake fell from 2,020 kcal in 1980 to 1,669 kcal in 1996.
The implications of this state of food insecurity in Africa for climate change
are significant. The risks of adverse effects on agriculture, especially in
semi-arid and subhumid regions and areas with more frequent and prolonged drought,
become life-threatening risks. Internal coping mechanisms—through farm
improvement, employment, and trade—are not likely to be adequate for many
of the vulnerable populations. If food insecurity prevents private investment
in agricultural economies (internal and from multinational corporations), resources
for adapting to climate change may not keep pace with impacts. However, it also
is clear that Africa has enormous resources—natural and human—that
can be tapped to make rapid gains in food security and thus reduce the risk
of adverse climate change.
