Climate Change, Food Insecurity, and Resilience in Pacific Islands

Causes, Effects, and Climate’s Menace

This essay will focus on the global causes and effects of food insecurity in Pacific Island Countries, how to overcome food insecurity and some potential solutions. Firstly, it will discuss the causes, which are Poor native soil fertility (atolls), land degradation (deforestation), food stability issues(poverty), sea level rise, and climate change threat to biodiversity and fisheries. However, it will then move on to the effects, which are poor health, population and urbanization, trade, gender equity, disasters, and conflicts. The essay will conclude that the biggest threat to food insecurity is climate change, as Pacific Island countries are facing the hardship of climate change to overcome food insecurity and food security.

Interlinked Causes, Consequences, and Impact of Food Insecurity

To begin with, food insecurity refers to a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life, or it refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level. Widespread studies disclose food insecurity is a multifaceted issue. Numerous people don’t have the resources to convene their basic necessities, which raises a family’s threat of food insecurity. Though food insecurity is intimately interrelated to poverty, not all people living beneath the poverty line experience food insecurity, and people living over the poverty line could experience food insecurity.

Food insecurity does not subsist in seclusion, as low-income families are exaggerated by numerous coinciding concerns like an abridgment of inexpensive housing, communal segregation, discriminating health dilemmas, elevated medicinal fees, and low earnings. Food insecurity in the Pacific Islands is like a threat to the people. Thus, it is because of one major factor the Pacific is facing, and that is climate change.

Furthermore, the causes of food insecurity are poor native soil fertility, land degradation (deforestation), food stability issues (poverty), sea level rise, and climate change threats to livestock, biodiversity, and fisheries. The first factor, which is poor native soil fertility, is one of the causes of food insecurity. When soil fertility is poor, productivity is not good, and the crops and vegetables are not nutritious when being planted. At times, poor soil fertility does not support crops to grow, and this leads to food insecurity.

Another factor that causes food insecurity is land degradation. Land degradation causes soil erosion and affects food production. Through this, the minerals and fertility of the soil are lost, and the soil is washed away, making agriculture impossible. Deforestation is intimidating these important food security and livelihood sources. A food stability issue is another cause of food insecurity. Pacific island countries are food importers, and food and oil prices continue to increase. Leading people to starve due to food insecurity and causing poverty as well.

People are not able to afford to buy fresh foods, and poor farmers have small-scale farms, use less efficient farming methods, and are incapable of paying for fertilizers that confine food production. Farmers often find it hard to grow sufficient food for their own consumption. Sea level rise is another cause of food insecurity. Pacific islands are a threat to sea level rise, and this affects the livelihood of the people. Sea level rise causes loss of agricultural land and damage to atoll and coastal volcanic island crops. Also causes groundwater pollution and coastal erosion.

Sea water enters the farms, washing away the crops, leading to fauna, flora stress, and change in soil quality by washing away the nutrients present in it. The final factor that causes food insecurity is the climate change. Climate change threatens biodiversity, fisheries, and livestock. Climate change threat to fisheries causes coral bleaching through acidification. Coral Bleaching will result in a lesser amount of fish territory and fewer fish. Climate change also affects the biodiversity. Both maritime and terrestrial plants and animals are under threat and decreased accessibility to planting resources due to climate change threat.

In addition, the effects of food insecurity are poor health, population and urbanization, trade, gender equity, and social unrest. The first effect of food insecurity is poor health. When the health is not good, the body is also unable to make utilization of the food that is accessible. A mother who was not eating healthy meals would give birth to an underweight baby, who in the future would face diminutive growth, recurrent ailment learning impairment, and lessened confrontation to illness. Another effect of food insecurity is population growth and urbanization.

It amplifies the trade for rations. Growing cities stretch out across prolific land, presuming food protraction more away from people. Trade is another effect of food insecurity. Numerous undeveloped nations could harvest staples more inexpensively than wealthy countries, but obstacles to trade, such as remoteness from markets, governance, and taxes, make it hard for them to battle in foreign markets against farmers in wealthy regions. Trade imbalances avert deprived nations from buying agricultural outputs that may boost their food insecurity. Gender equity is also an effect of food insecurity.

The role of the woman is important in providing food and nutrition for her loved ones. Food consumption could be improved by civilizing feminists’ understanding of nutrition, food security, and avoidance of diseases. Expanding feminists’ participation in judgment contriving and their approach to land and acknowledgment would, in a twist, upgrade food security. The final effect of food insecurity is disasters and conflicts. Droughts, floods, cyclones, and pests could rapidly swab out huge capacities of food as it flourishes. Seeds could also be annihilated by such ecological hazards. Conflict could also devastate food in prolongation as farmers escape to become sophisticated in the fighting. Gathered food, seeds, and breeding livestock might be shattered by soldiers, leading to long-term food deficits.

Conclusion

Restate thesis – causes and effects of food insecurity in Pacific Island Countries Implication – Women should also take part actively in the decision-making process. Recommendation – The developed nations must help the developing nations in order to increase exports and have access to secure nutritious, healthy foods at all phases. Final thought – The biggest threat to food insecurity is climate change, as Pacific Island countries are facing the hardship of climate change to overcome food insecurity and food security.

References:

1. Hunger and Health. (2017). What Is Food Insecurity in America? | Hunger and Health. [online] Available at: https://hungerandhealth.feedingamerica.org/understand-food-insecurity/.
2. Solofa, D., Susumu, G., & Halavatau, S. (n.d.). Overview of Food Security in the Pacific. https://pafpnet.spc.int/attachments/article/297/Food%20Security%20in%20Pacific.pdf
3. UKEssays.com. (2018). Causes And Effects Of Food Insecurity Environmental Sciences Essay. [online] Available at: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/environmental-sciences/causes-and-effects-of-food-insecurity-environmental-sciences-essay.php.