Asia’s vast landmass and growing cities are warming faster than the global average and that will have a disproportional impact on food security and livelihoods for billions of people across the region, FAO and its UN partners warned today.

Some Asian cities are already 0.2 – 2.6 degrees warmer than the global average, as per UN agencies’ report on Climate and Land released today.

The Asia-Pacific region, whose countries are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of severe weather-related events and food insecurity, is home to nearly half-a-billion undernourished people – more than half of the world’s total.

The UN agencies warn that, in Asia-Pacific, food security will be increasingly affected by climate change through yield declines – especially in the tropics – increased food prices, reduced nutrient quality and supply chain disruptions. Tackling land degradation in Asia will be critical, while access to, and competition for, fresh water will be another major challenge. But consumer demand for foods that require greater natural resources to produce will need to be addressed as well.

Mentioning the active role played by FAO in supporting and contributing to this report, Ms Xiangjun Yao, FAO Regional Programme Leader asserted that “At FAO, we are urging our member countries to do more to adapt and mitigate the effects of extreme climatic events on agriculture and rural livelihoods.”

(Source: FAO)