A report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), recently, stated as a result of climate change, India’s food production could drop 16 per cent. The number of those at risk for hunger could increase 23 per cent by 2030.

These projections are part of a model used to evaluate the impact of climate change on aggregate food production, food consumption, net trade of major food commodity groups, and the population at risk of going hungry. 

Number of Indians at risk from hunger in 2030 is expected to be 73.9 million. After factoring in the effects of climate change the number might increase to 90.6 million. The aggregate food production index, under similar conditions, would drop from 1.6 to 1.5, the report noted.

Baseline projections indicate that global food production will grow by around 60 per cent by 2050 in the context of climate change. Production and demand would grow more rapidly in developing countries, such as Africa, than in developed countries due to growth in population and incomes. But long-term impacts of COVID-19 and other current geopolitical factors have not been incorporated in these projections yet. Diets have also been shifting towards higher-value food, including more fruits and vegetables, processed foods, and animal-source foods, outside of high-income countries. Meat production is to double in South Asia and West and Central Africa by 2030 and triple by 2050, the report added.

Nevertheless, the per capita consumption level in developing countries will remain less than half in comparison to developed countries. The demand for processed food also shows up in the growing production of oil crops. Production of fruit and vegetables is to grow more than double in most regions of Africa by 2050. By the same year, average dietary energy consumption is also to increase by around 10 per cent globally.

According to a report published in The Hindu, regional differences in access to food mean nearly 500 million people would remain at risk of going hungry. Globally, around 70 million people will be at risk from hunger due to climate change.