Between 35 million and 122 million more people could be living in poverty by 2030 as climate change impacts food production
and small-scale farmers’ incomes across the globe, according to a new report by the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). The report, which examines food security and crop production and prices under various climate scenarios, says that without “widespread adoption of sustainable land, water, fisheries, and forestry practices, global poverty cannot be eradicated.” There are an estimated half-billion small-scale farms across the globe, managed by 2.5 billion people. These farms provide over 80 percent of the food consumed in the developing world, including southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. “There is no doubt climate change affects food security,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. “We cannot assure any more that we will have the harvest we have planted.”
A farmer in India during a recent heat wave.