IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v163y2020i2d10.1007_s10584-020-02922-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Combating food insecurity in a rapidly changing mountain climate environment: insights from Lesotho

Author

Listed:
  • G. Mukwada

    (University of the Free State, QwaQwa campus
    University of the Free State, QwaQwa campus
    Department of Geography & W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation of the University of Montana)

  • S. J. Taylor

    (University of Free State)

  • D. Manatsa

    (University of the Free State, QwaQwa campus
    Bindura University of Science Education)

  • P. Mahasa

    (University of the Free State, QwaQwa campus)

  • G. Robinson

    (University of Adelaide)

Abstract

This paper assesses the options that developing countries have in ensuring food security in an environment where key climate parameters are changing rapidly. Based on a case study of Lesotho, the paper utilizes the Global Climate Model ensemble to determine future precipitation and temperature projections using data from Climate Explorer. The results indicate that in Lesotho, maximum temperature is likely to continue to increase. Coupled with a significant increase in precipitation under both Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 (p = 0.0008) and RCP 8.5 (p = 0.0001) scenarios and a significant increase of evaporation under the two scenarios for RCP 4.5 (p = 0.0008) and RCP 8.5 (p = 0.0103), the country’s preparedness for hazards arising from climate change is rendered uncertain. Despite this reality, we suggest that uncertainty could be reduced by reinforcing existing innovative measures that could improve the productive capacity of subsistence farmers, so that they meet their own food requirements, while preventing further environmental deterioration. While some measures will be based on the intensification of government-led social support mechanisms, others will depend on the support rendered to “tried and tested” traditional practices such as machobane and fato-fato, which have a long tradition in the country. However, on their own, these measures are insufficient to cope with rapidly changing climatic conditions, unless they are coupled with national research development initiatives, improved early warning systems, and enhancement of environmental monitoring capabilities, the implementation of which requires careful land use planning.

Suggested Citation

  • G. Mukwada & S. J. Taylor & D. Manatsa & P. Mahasa & G. Robinson, 2020. "Combating food insecurity in a rapidly changing mountain climate environment: insights from Lesotho," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 989-1006, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:163:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02922-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-020-02922-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-020-02922-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-020-02922-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rezende, Camila Linhares & Fraga, Joana Stingel & Sessa, Juliana Cabral & de Souza, Gustavo Vinagre Pinto & Assad, Eduardo Delgado & Scarano, Fabio Rubio, 2018. "Land use policy as a driver for climate change adaptation: A case in the domain of the Brazilian Atlantic forest," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 563-569.
    2. Workman, Cassandra L. & Ureksoy, Heather, 2017. "Water insecurity in a syndemic context: Understanding the psycho-emotional stress of water insecurity in Lesotho, Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 52-60.
    3. Ellis, Frank & Manda, Elizabeth, 2012. "Seasonal Food Crises and Policy Responses: A Narrative Account of Three Food Security Crises in Malawi," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1407-1417.
    4. Telles, Tiago Santos & Reydon, Bastiaan Philip & Maia, Alexandre Gori, 2018. "Effects of no-tillage on agricultural land values in Brazil," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 124-129.
    5. Qi, Xiaoxing & Dang, Heping, 2018. "Addressing the dual challenges of food security and environmental sustainability during rural livelihood transitions in China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 199-208.
    6. Sudhanshu Handa & Silvio Daidone & Amber Peterman & Benjamin Davis & Audrey Pereira & Tia Palermo & Jennifer Yablonski, 2018. "Myth-Busting? Confronting Six Common Perceptions about Unconditional Cash Transfers as a Poverty Reduction Strategy in Africa," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 33(2), pages 259-298.
    7. Moreda, Tsegaye, 2018. "Contesting conventional wisdom on the links between land tenure security and land degradation: Evidence from Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 75-83.
    8. Trinh, Thoai Quang & Rañola, Roberto F. & Camacho, Leni D. & Simelton, Elisabeth, 2018. "Determinants of farmers’ adaptation to climate change in agricultural production in the central region of Vietnam," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 224-231.
    9. Evans, David K. & Holtemeyer, Brian & Kosec, Katrina, 2019. "Cash transfers increase trust in local government," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 138-155.
    10. Chen, Qiaomin & Liu, Yujie & Ge, Quansheng & Pan, Tao, 2018. "Impacts of historic climate variability and land use change on winter wheat climatic productivity in the North China Plain during 1980–2010," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 1-9.
    11. Andrew Makenete & Gerald Ortmann & Mark Darroch, 1998. "Food-aid dependency in Lesotho: Issues and policy implications," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 251-266.
    12. Prifti, Ervin & Daidone, Silvio & Miguelez, Borja, 2017. "Impact of increases in food prices on consumer welfare in Lesotho," African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, African Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 12(1), March.
    13. Schönhart, Martin & Trautvetter, Helene & Parajka, Juraj & Blaschke, Alfred Paul & Hepp, Gerold & Kirchner, Mathias & Mitter, Hermine & Schmid, Erwin & Strenn, Birgit & Zessner, Matthias, 2018. "Modelled impacts of policies and climate change on land use and water quality in Austria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 500-514.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Asuamah Yeboah, Samuel, 2024. "Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Africa: Regional Variations and Socio-Economic Perspectives," MPRA Paper 120918, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 Apr 2024.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ganjar Kurnia & Iwan Setiawan & Ahmad C. Tridakusumah & Gani Jaelani & Mahra A. Heryanto & Adi Nugraha, 2022. "Local Wisdom for Ensuring Agriculture Sustainability: A Case from Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Dang, Hoa Le & Pham, Thuyen Thi & Pham, Nhung Thi Hong & Nam, Pham Khanh, 2022. "Gender-Differentiated Determinants of Rice Farmers' Choice of Strategies to Adapt to Salinity Intrusion in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam," EfD Discussion Paper 22-9, Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg.
    3. Hızıroğlu Aygün, Aysun & Kırdar, Murat Güray & Koyuncu, Murat & Stoeffler, Quentin, 2024. "Keeping refugee children in school and out of work: Evidence from the world's largest humanitarian cash transfer program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Thu-Huong Nguyen & Oz Sahin & Michael Howes, 2021. "Climate Change Adaptation Influences and Barriers Impacting the Asian Agricultural Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    5. Shirvani Dastgerdi, Ahmadreza & Sargolini, Massimo & Broussard Allred, Shorna & Chatrchyan, Allison Morrill & Drescher, Michael & DeGeer, Christopher, 2022. "Climate change risk reduction in cultural landscapes: Insights from Cinque Terre and Waterloo," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    6. Tiéfigué Pierrette Coulibaly & Jianguo Du & Daniel Diakité & Olivier Joseph Abban & Elvis Kouakou, 2021. "A Proposed Conceptual Framework on the Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Practices: The Role of Network Contact Frequency and Institutional Trust," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-12, February.
    7. Nyantakyi-Frimpong, Hanson & Mambulu, Faith Nankasa & Bezner Kerr, Rachel & Luginaah, Isaac & Lupafya, Esther, 2016. "Agroecology and sustainable food systems: Participatory research to improve food security among HIV-affected households in northern Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 89-99.
    8. Gupta, Prankur & Stein, Daniel & Longman, Kyla & Lanthorn, Heather & Bergmann, Rico & Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel & Rutto, Noel & Kahura, Christine & Kananu, Winfred & Posner, Gabrielle & Zhao, K.J. & , 2024. "Cash transfers amid shocks: A large, one-time, unconditional cash transfer to refugees in Uganda has multidimensional benefits after 19 months," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    9. Ridho Al Izzati & Daniel Suryadarma & Asep Suryahadi, "undated". "Dampak Bantuan Langsung Tunai terhadap Perilaku Penerima Bantuan: Bukti dari Indonesia," Working Papers 3621, Publications Department.
    10. Fabio Gaetano Santeramo & Lerato Phali, 2023. "On the impact of provincial development policies in South Africa," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(6), pages 1137-1152, November.
    11. Koirala, Pankaj & Kotani, Koji & Managi, Shunsuke, 2022. "How do farm size and perceptions matter for farmers’ adaptation responses to climate change in a developing country? Evidence from Nepal," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 188-204.
    12. Soroush Kiani Ghalehsard & Javad Shahraki & Ahmad Akbari & Ali Sardar Shahraki, 2021. "Assessment of the impacts of climate change and variability on water resources and use, food security, and economic welfare in Iran," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(10), pages 14666-14682, October.
    13. Brewis, Alexandra & Choudhary, Neetu & Wutich, Amber, 2019. "Household water insecurity may influence common mental disorders directly and indirectly through multiple pathways: Evidence from Haiti," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    14. Kate R. Schneider & Luc Christiaensen & Patrick Webb & William A. Masters, 2023. "Assessing the affordability of nutrient‐adequate diets," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 105(2), pages 503-524, March.
    15. Rachel Bezner Kerr & Sera L. Young & Carrie Young & Marianne V. Santoso & Mufunanji Magalasi & Martin Entz & Esther Lupafya & Laifolo Dakishoni & Vicki Morrone & David Wolfe & Sieglinde S. Snapp, 2019. "Farming for change: developing a participatory curriculum on agroecology, nutrition, climate change and social equity in Malawi and Tanzania," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 36(3), pages 549-566, September.
    16. Xia, Fangzhou & Huang, Jing & Zhang, Zhengfeng, 2024. "Government concerns, the benefit cliff, and land use: A comparative study of rural impoverished and marginalised impoverished groups," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    17. Ankush Goyal & Rajender Kumar, 2022. "Does Social Welfare Programmes Influence Households Trust in Local Administration and Their Political Participation? Evidence from the MGNREG Scheme in India," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 16(3), pages 602-617, December.
    18. Corinna May Walsh & Michelle Shannon Fouché & Mariette Nel & Frederik Booysen, 2020. "The Impact of a Household Food Garden Intervention on Food Security in Lesotho," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(22), pages 1-13, November.
    19. Liu, Jing & Jin, Xiaobin & Xu, Weiyi & Sun, Rui & Han, Bo & Yang, Xuhong & Gu, Zhengming & Xu, Cuilan & Sui, Xueyan & Zhou, Yinkang, 2019. "Influential factors and classification of cultivated land fragmentation, and implications for future land consolidation: A case study of Jiangsu Province in eastern China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Graveline, Nina & Grémont, Marine, 2021. "The role of perceptions, goals and characteristics of wine growers on irrigation adoption in the context of climate change," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:163:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-020-02922-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.