Your search found 4 records
1 Kerr, R. B.; Patel, R. 2015. Food security in Malawi: disputed diagnoses, different prescriptions. In Nagothu, U. S. (Ed.). Food security and development: country case studies. Oxon, UK: Routledge - Earthscan. pp.205-229.
Food security ; Food production ; Food supply ; Food consumption ; Gender relations ; Population growth ; Health hazards ; Human immunodeficiency virus ; Environmental effects ; Geography ; Political aspects ; Economic aspects ; Social aspects ; Legal aspects ; Fertilizers ; Subsidies ; Smallholders ; Policy making ; Nutrition / Malawi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: 338.19 G000 NAG Record No: H046984)
2 Kerr, R. B.; Kangmennaang, J.; Dakishoni, L.; Nyantakyi-Frimpong, H.; Lupafya, E.; Shumba, L.; Msachi, R.; Boateng, G. O.; Snapp, S. S.; Chitaya, A.; Maona, E.; Gondwe, T.; Nkhonjera, P.; Luginaah, I. 2019. Participatory agroecological research on climate change adaptation improves smallholder farmer household food security and dietary diversity in Malawi. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 279:109-201. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2019.04.004]
Climate change adaptation ; Agroecology ; Participatory research ; Household food security ; Smallholders ; Farmers ; Nutrition ; Dietary factors ; Agrobiodiversity ; Agricultural practices ; Strategies ; Gender ; Socioeconomic environment ; Villages / Malawi
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049399)
(2.04 MB)
This study examines whether agroecological farming practices, when employed by highly vulnerable households in sub-Saharan Africa, can improve food security and dietary diversity. The research involved a four-year study with 425 smallholder households, selected purposively based on high levels of food insecurity and/or positive HIV status. The households carried out agroecological experiments of their own choosing over a four-year period. Baseline (n = 306) and follow-up (n = 352) surveys were conducted in 2011 and 2013 respectively to assess changes in farming practices, food security, crop diversity and dietary diversity. Longitudinal mixed effects models were used with 203 matched households to estimate determinants of change in food security and dietary diversity at the population level. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were also conducted to provide depth to the survey findings. The findings show that participatory agroecology experimentation increased intercropping, legume diversification and the addition of compost, manure and crop residue amendments to the soil. Intercropping was associated with food security and the use of organic soil amendments was associated with gains in dietary diversity in bivariate analysis. Household food security and dietary diversity increased significantly over a 2-year period. Importantly, multivariate models showed that spousal discussion about farming was strongly associated with increased household food security and dietary diversity. Households who discussed farming with their spouse were 2.4 times more likely to be food secure and have diverse diets. Addition of compost or manure to the soil significantly influenced dietary diversity. These findings indicate that poor, vulnerable farmers can use agroecological methods to effectively improve food and nutritional security in sub-Saharan Africa. The study also highlights how linking agroecology to participatory research approaches that promote farmer experimentation and gender equity also lead to greater health and well-being. The study sheds light on how agroecological approaches can rapidly improve food security and dietary diversity, even under conditions of acute social, health or ecological stress. It draws attention to issues of equity and farmer-led approaches in addressing food security and nutrition.
3 Birkmann, J.; Jamshed, A.; McMillan, J. M.; Feldmeyer, D.; Totin, E.; Solecki, W.; Ibrahim, Z. Z.; Roberts, D.; Kerr, R. B.; Poertner, H.-O.; Pelling, M.; Djalante, R.; Garschagen, M.; Filho, W. L.; Guha-Sapir, D.; Alegria, A. 2022. Understanding human vulnerability to climate change: a global perspective on index validation for adaptation planning. Science of the Total Environment, 803:150065. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150065]
Climate change adaptation ; Planning ; Vulnerability ; Weather hazards ; Drought ; Storms ; Sea level ; Disaster risk reduction ; Resilience ; Sensitivity analysis ; Infrastructure ; Social impact ; Indicators
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050824)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969721051408/pdfft?md5=88f5450f705109d467665d0946c601d5&pid=1-s2.0-S0048969721051408-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050824.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050824.pdf
(3.61 MB) (3.61 MB)
Climate change is a severe global threat. Research on climate change and vulnerability to natural hazards has made significant progress over the last decades. Most of the research has been devoted to improving the quality of climate information and hazard data, including exposure to specific phenomena, such as flooding or sea-level rise. Less attention has been given to the assessment of vulnerability and embedded social, economic and historical conditions that foster vulnerability of societies. A number of global vulnerability assessments based on indicators have been developed over the past years. Yet an essential question remains how to validate those assessments at the global scale. This paper examines different options to validate global vulnerability assessments in terms of their internal and external validity, focusing on two global vulnerability indicator systems used in the WorldRiskIndex and the INFORM index. The paper reviews these global index systems as best practices and at the same time presents new analysis and global results that show linkages between the level of vulnerability and disaster outcomes. Both the review and new analysis support each other and help to communicate the validity and the uncertainty of vulnerability assessments. Next to statistical validation methods, we discuss the importance of the appropriate link between indicators, data and the indicandum. We found that mortality per hazard event from floods, drought and storms is 15 times higher for countries ranked as highly vulnerable compared to those classified as low vulnerable. These findings highlight the different starting points of countries in their move towards climate resilient development. Priority should be given not just to those regions that are likely to face more severe climate hazards in the future but also to those confronted with high vulnerability already.
4 Mirzabaev, A.; Kerr, R. B.; Hasegawa, T.; Pradhan, P.; Wreford, A.; von der Pahlen, M. C. T.; Gurney-Smith, H. 2023. Severe climate change risks to food security and nutrition. Climate Risk Management, 39:100473. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2022.100473]
Climate change ; Risk ; Climate services ; Food security ; Food production ; Nutrition ; Food insecurity ; Food systems ; Food safety ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Livestock ; Fisheries ; Aquaculture ; Global warming ; Heat stress ; Drought ; Infrastructure ; Ecosystem services
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051609)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212096322000808/pdfft?md5=59e8f187f5e670c5b810379d475fd23d&pid=1-s2.0-S2212096322000808-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051609.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051609.pdf
(0.62 MB) (636 KB)
This paper discusses severe risks to food security and nutrition that are linked to ongoing and projected climate change, particularly climate and weather extremes in global warming, drought, flooding, and precipitation. We specifically consider the impacts on populations vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition due to lower income, lower access to nutritious food, or social discrimination. The paper defines climate-related “severe risk” in the context of food security and nutrition, using a combination of criteria, including the magnitude and likelihood of adverse consequences, the timing of the risk and the ability to reduce the risk. Severe climate change risks to food security and nutrition are those which result, with high likelihood, in pervasive and persistent food insecurity and malnutrition for millions of people, have the potential for cascading effects beyond the food systems, and against which we have limited ability to prevent or fully respond. The paper uses internationally agreed definitions of risks to food security and nutrition to describe the magnitude of adverse consequences. Moreover, the paper assesses the conditions under which climate change-induced risks to food security and nutrition could become severe based on findings in the literature using different climate change scenarios and shared socioeconomic pathways. Finally, the paper proposes adaptation options, including institutional management and governance actions, that could be taken now to prevent or reduce the severe climate risks to future human food security and nutrition.
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