Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Climate change, flooding and food security in south Asia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Food Security Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The most vulnerable groups in terms of food security during floods in south Asia under climate change will be the poor, women and children. Current procedures for the transfer of climate adaptation funds tend to marginalize these groups. Food production is being disrupted by flooding more frequently and more severely than before, due to climate change. By 2080 the situation is likely to be much worse than at present. Adaptation has to encourage management of all stages of food security, from the farm to the consumer, both urban and rural. Measures have to be participatory, from the community to the international level. While many individual initiatives offer hope and demonstrate good practice, institutional, economic and environmental factors may all impede the maintenance and enhancement of food security in south Asia. Innovative forms of food production, distribution and storage will have to be developed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acharyulu AVR, Mathew A (2006) Food supply chains and their influence on resurgence in institutions of Commons. Paper presented at the 11th Global conference of IASCP, 19–23June, 2006. Bali, Indonesia

  • Aggarwal PK, Joshi PK, Ingram JSI, Gupta RK (2004) Adapting food systems of the Indo-Gangetic plains to global environmental change: key information needs to improve policy formulation. Environ Sci Policy 7:487–498

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alamgir M (1980) Famine in South Asia: Political economy of mass starvation in Bangladesh. MA: Oelgeschlager, Gunn and Hain, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Ali A (1999) Climate change impacts and adaptation assessment in Bangladesh. Clim Res 12:109–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Attri SD, Rathore LS (2003) Simulation of impact of projected climate change on wheat in India. Int J Climatol 23:693–705

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Del Ninno C, Dorosh P (2002) In-kind transfers and household food consumption: implications for targeted food programs in Bangladesh. FCND Discussion Paper, 134. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Del Ninno C, Lundberg M (2005) Treading water: the long-term impact of the 1998 flood on nutrition in Bangladesh. Econ Hum Biol 3:67–96

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett JL (2000) Achieving urban food and nutrition security in the developing world:overview. International Food Policy Research Institute 2020 Vision Focus 3:1–2

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghani MU (2002) Participatory strategy for flood mitigation in east and northeast India: Case study of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basin. Murshidabad, West Bengal: Farakka Dam Project Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India. http://www.unescap.org/esd/water/disaster/2001/india.doc. accessed 10 January 2009

  • Kunii O, Nakamura S, Abdur R, Wakai S (2002) The impact on health and risk factors of the diarrhoea epidemics in the 1998 Bangladesh flood. Public Health 116:68–74

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mall RK, Singh R, Gupta A, Srinivasan G, Rathore LS (2006) Impact of climate change on Indian Agriculture. Clim Change 78:445–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mizra MMQ (2002) Global warming and changes in the probability of occurrence of floods in Bangladesh and implications. Glob Environ Change 12:127–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paavola J, Adger WN (2002) Justice and adaptation to climate change. tyndall centre working paper no. 23. University of East Anglia, Norwich

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid SF (2000) The urban poor in Dhaka City: their struggles and coping strategies during the floods of 1998. Disasters 24:240–253

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ravi A (2008) Climate change risk: an adaptation and mitigation agenda for Indian cities. Environ Urban 20(1):207–229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahabuddin Q (2000) Impact of recent floods on agriculture: Some suggested interventions. Daily Star Features, Dhaka

    Google Scholar 

  • Shukla PR (2003) Climate Change and India. Universities Press India, Hyderabad

    Google Scholar 

  • Singh RB (2002) Sustainable food security, nutritional adequacy, and poverty alleviation in the Asia Pacific Region. RAP publication 2002/02. FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas AS, Kopzack LR (2005) From logistics to supply chain management: the path forward in the humanitarian sector. Fritz Institute, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Vasudeva G (2002) Environmental security: A South Asian perspective. Tata Energy and Resources Institute, Arlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Whetton P (1994) Constructing Climate Scenarios: The Practice. In: Jakeman AJ, Pittock AB (eds) Climate impact assessment methods for Asia and Pacific. Australian International Development Assistance Bureau, Canberra, pp 56–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Zug S (2006) Monga: seasonal food insecurity in Bangladesh: Understanding the problem and stratgies to combat it. http://www.bangladesch.org/pics/download/Final_Report_Monga_Sebastian_Zug.pdf accessed 20 January 2009

Download references

Acknowledgements

I thank Richard Strange, Maureen Douglas and two anonymous referees for their helpful and constructive comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Maureen Douglas also suggested and drafted Fig. 1. Graham Bowden drew the final versions of the two figures.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian Douglas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Douglas, I. Climate change, flooding and food security in south Asia. Food Sec. 1, 127–136 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-009-0015-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-009-0015-1

Keywords

Navigation